Delaware County NY Genealogy and History Site

Biographical Review - 1895
The Leading Citizens of Delaware County, NY

This volume contains Biographical Sketches of The Leading Citizens of Delaware County New York

Biography is the home aspect of history

BostonBiographical Review Publishing Company 1895

Section 2 - pages 53 through 99

JOSIAH MARTIN, proprietor of a stone quarry in the town of Walton, where he also carries on the trade of a carpenter, is a practical, well-educated man of good business talents, which have made him highly successful in his present enterprise. Mr. Martin is a native of this State and county, his birth having occurred in the town of Hancock, September 19, 1829. He is of German descent, his paternal grandfather, Ebenezer Martin, having, it is thought, been born in Germany, whence he emigrated to America, settling in Connecticut, where he took up land, and there passed his remaining years.

His father, also named Josiah Martin, was born on a farm in Mansfield, Conn., and was there reared to man's estate. He received a good education, and in his early manhood was a popular teacher. He was a remarkably fine reader, a circumstance which is well remembered by his children. He also learned civil engineering, a vocation which he followed for many years. When about twenty-five years of age, he came to Delaware County, and in the town of Hancock carried on his former occupation for a while, but finally became a tiller of the soil, following this occupation until his death, at the age of sixty-eight years. He married Rachel Williams, the daughter of Titus Williams, a farmer of Hancock, and also a local preacher in the Methodist denomination. Of this marriage seven children were born, namely: Charles, Williams, of East Branch, and Josiah, now living, and James, Jane, Levi, and Rachel, deceased. The mother of these children was an esteemed member of the Methodist church, of which the family were regular attendants.

Josiah, son of Josiah and Rachel (Williams) Martin, was reared upon his father's farm in Hancock, and passed the years of his boyhood in the usual manner, attending the district school in the winter, and working on the farm during the summer season. He had some native talent as a mechanic, and worked at the carpenter's trade when he could conveniently, remaining with his parents until attaining his majority. He secured work as a bridge-maker for the Pittsburg, New Castle, & Erie Railway Company; and during the year that he was in their employment he assisted in the construction of eleven bridges, and, as foreman of the workmen, made every pattern and laid out the entire work. He afterward worked for a while for the Ontario & Western Railway Company. In 1871 Mr. Martin came to Walton, and purchasing a lot, erected his present fine residence, which he has since occupied. Forming a partnership with E. P. Berray, he established the cabinet business here, and conducted it for about six years. He then resumed his former vocation of carpentering, which he continued until 1889, when he bought the stone quarry, where he has since been actively employed in getting out stone. He is an enterprising representative of the industrial interests of the town, and is widely and favorably known in business circles as an upright, incorruptible man and a good citizen.

An important step in the life of Mr. Martin was his marriage with Fannie Niles, the daughter of Festus and Sarah Niles, the former of whom was a native of Walton and the latter of Hamden. The only child of this union was a son, James Curtis Martin, who is now studying law. He was born during the residence of his parents in Hancock, the date of his birth being October 7, 1869. When he was four years old, his parents removed to Walton, where he was educated, attending first the district schools, and subsequently being graduated from the Walton Academy. He began his business career as a clerk in the store of D. McLean, and was afterward with G. O. Mead, with whom he remained for a time, relinquishing that position to accept the general agency of the publishing house of H. J. Smith & Co. of Philadelphia, for whom he travelled about a year, his territory being in the State of New York. He afterward entered the United States mail service as a clerk on the train running from Oneida to New York City, continuing in this business about eighteen months. Going then to Cornwall, he was for a short time a clerk in the general store of Oliver & Bogara. On his return to Walton, he entered the law office of Marvins & Hanford, where he is rapidly qualifying himself for admission to the bar. He is a young man of exceeding promise, genial and courteous, and very popular in social circles. Entering the Thirty-third Separate Company, N. G. S., New York, October 12, 1887, as a private, in 1889 he was promoted to the rank of Corporal, and in March, 1892, to that of Sergeant, and in the same month was elected Second Lieutenant, a rank which he still holds.

Mr. Josiah Martin has always been a staunch adherent of the Democratic party, and takes an active interest in local and national affairs. During his residence in Hancock he served as Justice of the Peace two terms, and was elected to the same office the third term, but refused to qualify. While there he acted as Inspector of Elections, Constable, Collector, and as Assessor, filling each office with credit to himself and satisfactorily to all. Since coming to Walton, he has been Road Commissioner and Inspector of Elections; and he came within forty votes of being elected Supervisor and Justice of the Peace, which speaks well for his standing in the community, this town being a Republican stronghold. Both he and his wife are members of the Methodist church.

SAMUEL E. WHITE, who lives in the town of North Walton, in District No. 9, is the owner of one of the finest homesteads in this part of Delaware County. It consists of one hundred and sixty-five acres of land, with a comfortable and substantial residence, a good barn, and all necessary outbuildings for the storing of grain and the shelter of stock. The fences and farm machinery are kept in good repair, and everything about the premises indicates the supervision of an intelligent and practical farmer. Mr. White is a native citizen of Walton, and is the offspring of a New England family, his father, Daniel White, having been born in Stamford, Fairfield County, Conn., in which town William White, his grandfather, was a life-long resident. He was a successful farmer, and also carried on an extensive shoe business, and was closely identified with the industrial interests of the town. He reared a large family of twelve children.

Daniel White came to Walton in the days of its early settlement, when the clearings were few, and, purchasing a tract of wild land, set himself industriously to work to improve its condition and to raise the crops upon which he depended for his profits and livelihood. His first residence was the customary log cabin of the pioneer; but this in a few years was replaced by a fine frame structure, a good barn was erected, and on the homestead which he had thus established he lived until 1849, when his death occurred at the age of sixty-six years. On November 10, 1808, he married Catherine Webb, a native of Connecticut, born June 11, 1788, being one of six children born to Ebenezer and Hannah Webb. Her brothers and sisters were Clarissa, Jemima, Phebe, Joseph and Ebenezer Webb. Mrs. White proved herself an efficient helpmate during their years of pioneer life, and with her busy hands found time to card, spin, weave, and make the garments worn by the family. Both were original members of the Congregational church of North Walton. Previous to the formation of this church, they were members of the First Congregational Church at Walton, where they used to go on horseback, following a path through the woods, there being then no public highway. Mrs. Catherine White survived her husband many years, dying October 30, 1876, at the home of one of her daughters in North Walton. She reared six children; namely, William Edward, Eliza Ann, George E., Emily, Samuel E., and Charles E.

Samuel E., the third son, who was born on June 24, 1824, spent his early years on the parental homestead near the one which he now occupies, and in the district school and the academy at Franklin received a practical education. After finishing his studies, he assisted his father on the farm; and several years before the death of the latter he assumed the sole management of the homestead, his father being in feeble health and unable to superintend the work. He afterward engaged in general farming in Woodlawn near by, remaining there three years. He then bought the farm where he has since resided, and has carried on mixed husbandry. He makes a specialty of dairying, and until within a few years manufactured choice butter, which he sold in the New York and Connecticut markets, but has recently adopted the plan of selling his milk.

Mr. White was married in 1852 to Elizabeth C. Knapp, a daughter of William and Rebecca (Webb) Knapp, of Stamford, Conn. The only child of their union is a son, Arthur L., a finely educated man, having been fitted for college at the Franklin Academy. He is now at home, and assists in the management of the farm. The entire family are members of the Second Congregational Church of North Walton, of which Arthur has been Clerk for many years, besides faithfully performing the duties of superintendent of the Sunday-school.

WILLIAM S. THOMSON, a successful farmer and stock-raiser and a leading dairyman of his native town of Bovina, is the possessor of a fine homestead containing two hundred and two and a half acres of well-improved land, on which he and his family reside. His estate is supplied with a substantial set of modern farm buildings, his stock and machinery are of first-class description, and everything about the premises is indicative of the industry, intelligence, and thrift of its proprietor. The date of his birth, December 22, 1861, shows him to be yet in the prime of early manhood. His parents, Andrew and Margaret (Scott) Thomson, were also natives of Bovina, where his father entered upon this stage of existence on January 14, 1836, and his mother on the 3d of April, 1835.

On the paternal side of Mr. Thomson is of sturdy Scotch ancestry. His grandfather, William Thomson, who was born in Scotland in 1801, emigrated in 1825 from the land of his birth to America, and, coming to Delaware County, bought a farm in the town of Bovina, and here engaged in tilling the soil. He died at the good old age of fourscore years. He was a man of strong religious convictions, and a member of the Reformed Presbyterian church, of which he was for many years an Elder. He married Janet Hamilton; and to them were born six children, three sons and three daughters, all of whom are living except Andrew, the father of the subject of this present sketch.

Andrew Thomson spent his entire life in the town of Bovina, and was the larger part in his time engaged in agricultural pursuits. In 1861 he bought the farm now owned by his son, William S., and made thereon the major portion of the excellent improvements, placing it among the most valuable homesteads of this locality. He was a man of good business ability, and faithfully fulfilled his obligations as a good citizen, residing here until his death, July 17, 1888, at the age of fifty-two years. His wife, Margaret Scott, was the daughter of John Scott, a life-long resident of Bovina, and one who performed his full share in the pioneer labor of developing its resources and assisting its growth. She survived her husband a short time, dying January 11, 1891, at the age of fifty-four years. Both were active workers in the cause of religion, and were members of the Reformed Presbyterian church, in which he was an Elder. Five children were born of their union, as follows: William S.; Edwin F., a well-known dealer in boots and shoes, who resides in the village of Delhi; Burtis M., a farmer, who lives in Walton; Carrie E., the wife of A. T. Doig, a merchant in Bovina Centre; and Millard H., a farmer residing in Walton.

William S., the eldest of the family, was reared on the old home farm, and educated in the district schools. Having grown to manhood, he continued to make his home with his parents, and during the winter seasons taught school for three years, between terms working on the land. After the death of his father he bought the family homestead, taking possession in 1890, and here carries on an extensive business in general farming and dairying, milking thirty-five cows, which in 1893 yielded an average of two hundred and eighty pounds of butter per head. He has full-blooded Jersey cattle and graded, and also keeps other stock, having about sixty head in all.

Mr. Thomson was married on January 29, 1890, to Jennie A. Archibald, who was born April 24, 1870, and is the daughter of Sloane and Elizabeth (Russell) Archibald, esteemed residents of the town of Bovina, where her father is a prominent agriculturist. Both Mr. and Mrs. Archibald were born in New Kingston, his birth having occurred on January 5, 1848, and hers on November 13, 1848. Both are members of the United Presbyterian church of Bovina Centre, and in politics Mr. Archibald is a staunch Democrat. They are the parents of two children, namely: Mrs. Thomson; and Russell, who resides at home with his parents. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Thomson, James Archibald, was born in Bovina on July 20, 1816, was married to Margaret Sloane on April 7, 1842, and resided at New Kingston till after her death in 1848. He afterward lived in Bovina, but is at present in New Kingston. He has been three times married. His occupation is farming. Until quite recently he has also speculated in stock. He is a Democrat in politics, and is a member of the United Presbyterian church.

John G. Russell. the maternal grandfather of Mrs. Thomson, and his wife, whose maiden name was Jane Chisholm, were natives of New Kingston, where he still lives, and of which town his father, Matthew Russell, was a pioneer settler. During his earlier years John Russell was an active farmer and a successful miller, and one of the influential members of his community, His first wife died at the age of sixty-nine years, and he subsequently married again.

Of the happy union of Mr. Thomson and his wife two sons have been born - A. Ralph and Archibald. They have a pleasant and attractive home and enjoy the society of a large circle of warm friends. They are sincere Christian people, he being a member of the Reformed Presbyterian church, and she belonging to the United Presbyterian church.

FORREST F. GIBSON was born in South Kortright, on March 21, 1851, and died at his home in Stamford on May 28, 1890. His father, the Rev. John D. Gibson, was born in Washington County; and his mother, Catherine D. (Wood) Gibson, in Orange County. His grandfather, Colin Gibson, was born in Scotland, and came to America when a young man, being one of the early settlers of Washington County, where he died at a good old age. He was a United Presbyterian, and politically a Democrat. He was married three times. The Rev. John D. Gibson was a minister in the United Presbyterian church, and a very successful man in his calling, standing at the head in his profession. He spent the greater part of his life in Delaware County. He was a graduate of the Theological Seminary in Newburg, and was pastor of the South Kortright church for over forty years, beloved by his people, and well known and venerated throughout the county. He retired from the ministry seven years before his death, which occurred at his son's home in Stamford, January 6, 1893, when he was seventy-six years of age. His wife died in August. 1892. They had five children, all of whom grew up, and three are now living, namely: John B. Gibson, residing in Kansas City; Robert P., who resides in Westchester County; Margaret A. Gooding, wife of D. M. Gooding, who resides at Hoosick Falls, Rensselaer County; Charles A., who died when fifty years of age; the subject of this sketch, who was the youngest of the family.

Forrest F. Gibson grew up in Stamford, and received more than an ordinary education. He first went to the district schools of the town, then to Andes Academy, and from there to Delhi Academy. When his school days were over, he bought his first land, one hundred and twenty-five acres, at Rose Brook, shortly after his marriage, in 1874, and resided there for nine years. He then sold out, and in 1884 bought the farm where his widow now resides. He here owned one hundred and seventy-five acres and carried on general farming and dairying. He made many improvements, adding to the farm buildings, and in 1885 built a commodious modern residence worth thirty-three hundred dollars. He was a successful farmer an active man in promoting the welfare of the town, of which he was at one time Assessor.

On Christmas Eve, December 24, 1873, he married Helen T. Sackrider, daughter of James and Jane Ann (Thomas) Sackrider. (See the sketch of James Sackrider and Mrs. Agnes Thomas.) Mr. and Mrs. Gibson became the parents of two children: a daughter, J. Anna Gibson, born November 21, 1874, now Mrs. Henry E. Smith, residing in New York City; and James Sackrider Gibson, born August 23, 1877, who lives at home and assists in the management of the farm. They keep twenty-one milk cows, and also much young stock. All the family are members of the United Presbyterian church. Mr. Gibson, who was also of the United Presbyterian faith, and in politics was a Democrat, was a man who stood in high honor among his associates; and in his death occasioned heartfelt sorrow throughout the town.

MRS. HANNAH D. OGDEN, widow of the late Chauncey Ogden, is a woman well known and much respected in the town of Franklin, where her husband died in 1892, and where she still makes her home. Mr. Ogden's grandfather, David Ogden, Sr., was a soldier of the Revolution. He was born in Dutchess County in 1764; and, although very young at the time of the war, like so many of the patriots of that day he enlisted in the cause of freedom, and was taken prisoner, not by the British, but by the Indians. For two years he lived in a wigwam with the squaw who adopted him, and then he escaped and returned to his home. During the time of his captivity he acquired great fluency in the Indian tongue, which was of great use to him in his dealings with the red men. He died in Croton in 1840, at the age of seventy-six years. His son, David Jr., who was born in that town in 1792, and died in 1858, married Sally McCall. She was born January 7, 1794 and died in 1869. They had ten children, four sons and six daughters, only four of whom are now living, namely: Linus Ogden in Croton; Susan, widow of Isaac Hitchcock, in North Carolina; Marian, widow of Pardon Howland, of Whitney's Point, N.Y.; Mary, widow of the late Julius Brownson, of Oregon.

Chauncey Ogden, son of David Jr., and his wife Sally, was born in Croton in 1824, and married Hannah D. Munn, born in the town of Franklin, October 5, 1830. She was the daughter of Reuben and Lydia (Jones) Munn, and was but eighteen years old in 1848, when she became Mrs. Ogden. She has three children still living, namely: Emma, wife of Charles Potter, of Franklin, and the mother of two sons - Albert Ogden, twenty-one years old; and Orion C., eighteen years old. Mr. and Mrs. Chauncey Ogden began life as farmers, with a capital of five hundred dollars; and before the death of Mr. Ogden the property was worth several thousand dollars. In religion Mrs. Ogden is a Congregationalist.

Alfred K. Ogden, the eldest son of Mrs. Ogden, was born December 22, 1851. He received his primary education in the common schools, and then spent two years at the Delaware Literary Institute. He remained at home until December 8, 1887, when he was married to Ida Isabel Penfield, who was born in the town of Harpersfield, January 12, 1860, and was the daughter of David Penfield. Her father died in January, 1893, at the age of seventy-three. He was a native of Harpersfield, and was a son of David Penfield, Sr., and Boadicea Scoville, both of Danbury, Conn. Coming to Delaware County with his brothers, they here manufactured the famous Penfield axe. Mrs. Ida Isabel Ogden was educated in the Delaware Literary Institute, and taught school for three terms. After remaining one year on the old farm, she and her husband came to their present home and farm of ninety-five acres, which they had bought in 1889. They have one child, Chauncey, three years old, named for his grandfather.

Mr. Ogden is a Republican voter; and he and his wife are members of the Franklin Congregational church, in which he is a Deacon. He carries on a general farming business and a dairy of fourteen cows. He is a much esteemed citizen and one of the rising young men of the county, being one to whom all look for the fulfillment of much promise in the future.

EDSON S. DANN who stands prominent among the prosperous agriculturists of this county, is an extensive landholder in the town of Walton, where he occupies a fine farm on the south side of the Delaware River, about a mile and a half from the village. It is amply supplied with modern farm buildings; and his handsome residence, which he erected in 1886, has a charming location on the river's bank, overlooking the village below, and commanding picturesque natural scenery. The birth of Mr. Dann having taken place on the parental homestead near by on March 25, 1849, he is now in full vigor of manhood, and is contributing his share toward the advancement of the industrial and business interests of his native town.

His paternal grandparents were Ebenezer and Sarah Dann, of Connecticut, the former of whom was born on July 25, 1768, and the latter on October 10, 1770. They reared the following children - Amariah, Sarah, Phoebe, Ebenezer, Enoch, Asa, Matthew, Darius, and Harvey. Darius Dann came to Delaware County before his marriage, and in the town of Franklin learned the hatter's trade of a man by the name of Northrup. After working at his trade for some time, he came to Walton, and, purchasing the tract of land known as the Goodrich farm, engaged in general farming, living here nearly half a century, passing away September 9, 1892, in his eighty-ninth year. He married twice. On September 23, 1830, he wedded Minerva Seeley, a daughter of Abijah Seeley, of Franklin. She was a faithful member of the Congregational church, and died on the old homestead, September 21,1851. She bore her husband five children, namely: Sterling S., deceased; Julia, who married P. F. Sprague; Theron, deceased; Ellen M., who married Silas Bradley for her first husband, after his death becoming the wife of A. N. Tracy; and Edson, the subject of this sketch. On November 20, 1855, Darius Dann married for his second wife Almeda Beers.

Edson S. Dann was but two years old when his mother died. He remained with his father until twenty-two years of age, assisting in the necessary labors of the farm. He received the rudiments of his education in the district school. afterward becoming a student of Walton Academy. He acquired while on the home farm a practical experience in the art of agriculture that was of incalculable benefit to him in after years. After his marriage he settled on the farm where he now resides, and which he had previously purchased of William Marvin, it having in former times been known as the Case farm. Besides this property, which contains one hundred and twenty-five acres of excellent land, Mr. Dann owns the valuable parental homestead near by, which consists of two hundred and fifty acres. On these farms there are three substantial dwellings. Mr. Dann devotes his attention principally to stock-raising and dairying, keeping about forty cows, horses, and young stock, raising all the hay he needs and having some to spare, his farms being among the most productive in the vicinity. His fine cattle are of a native breed, producing large quantities of milk, which he sends to the creamery.

Mr. Dann was united in wedlock May 29, 1872 to Miss Ella E. Pierson, who was born in Walton, December 2, 1850. Her father, Joseph M. Pierson, was born February 25, 1820, in the town of Saratoga, and on February 2, 1848, he married Priscilla R. Lyon, who was born in Stamford, July 28, 1824. Mr. and Mrs. Pierson, who reared three children - Charles J., a farmer; George J., a worker in the Novelty works; and Mrs. Dann - still live in the village of Walton.

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Dann has been brightened by the advent of two intelligent and promising children. The elder, George J., born March 13, 1874, was graduated from Walton Union School with honors, when eighteen years old. He then entered Union College at Schenectady, and, having passed through the Sophomore class with a high rank, is now a member of the Junior class, and will be graduated in 1896. Florence E., born December 21, 1879, is now a student in the Walton High School, where she has a fine record for good scholarship. Mr. Dann is one of the leading citizens of his community, and for two years has served as Highway Commissioner. In politics he has usually supported the Republican ticket. He and his wife, and also his son, are among the most esteemed members of the Methodist church, in which he has been Steward for many years.

GEORGE BARLOW, a highly respected member of the agricultural community of the town of Stamford, N.Y., is a man who from a modest beginning has worked his own way up in the world to a good position, socially and financially, among his fellow-citizens and who by his upright life has secured their kindly regard and confidence. Mr. Barlow is a worthy representative of the native-born citizen, having first opened his eyes to the light September 14, 1825, in the town of Stamford, which was also the place of nativity of his parents, Jesse and Lucretia (Rollins) Barlow, the former having been born January 12, 1789, and the latter November 14, 1788.

Mr. Barlow comes from excellent New England stock. His grandfather, Edmund Barlow, who was one of the pioneer settlers of Stamford, having been born in Connecticut, came here when this part of the country was an almost pathless wilderness, with an occasional opening, whence the smoke from the chimney of some pioneer's cabin might be seen. He cleared a farm, placing it in good condition, and continued its cultivation until the time of his death while in the prime of life. His widow survived him many years, living to a ripe old age. They reared eight children, but none are now living.

Jesse Barlow, who was reared on the parental farm, was of invaluable assistance from the time he was old enough to wield the axe or spade, and performed his full share in the pioneer labor of felling trees and improving the land. He became a farmer from choice, and, devoting his whole time and attention to agriculture, became very successful. He lived sixty-four years of useful life, dying October 14, 1854. His faithful wife preceded him to the golden shore, passing quietly away November 27, 1853. Both parents were conscientious members of the Episcopal church, and in politics he was a zealous advocate of the principals of the Democratic party. Of the nine children born to them two are now living, namely: George, of Stamford; and Edmund, a resident of the village of Hobart. The names of the deceased are as follows: Mary Ann, Burr, Aaron, Betsey, Samuel, William, and Eunice. All of these grew to maturity excepting William, who died young.

George Barlow was reared and educated in the place of his birth, attending the district schools, and assisting his parents on the homestead until the time of his marriage. He subsequently bought the home property, where he resided for some years, engaged in general farming. Selling that, Mr. Barlow bought the farm where he now resides, taking possession of it April 1, 1868. It contains one hundred acres of well-tilled and productive land, which he has furnished with new and substantial buildings, besides adding other necessary improvements. He carries on mixed husbandry, paying a good deal of attention to dairying, which is a very important branch of his industry. He still resides on the farm, but has given up its management to his son, William S. Barlow.

Mr. Barlow was married October 27, 1853, to Mary P. Taylor, a native of Stamford, where she was born November 20, 1827. Her father Hezekiah Taylor, was a cooper by trade, and when a young man was united in marriage with Phoebe Beers, who became the mother of Mrs. Barlow. The happy union of Mr. and Mrs. Barlow was made still more bright by the birth of three children - Mary Ann, William S., and Fannie E. Mary Ann, the wife of Roswell Barlow, lives in Stamford, where her husband is engaged in farming. William S., who carries on the home farm, married Emma J. Hubbard, a native of Jefferson, Schoharie County, and a daughter of Lucius and Jerusha C. (Havens) Hubbard, who now make their home with her. Mr. Hubbard was formerly a carpenter, but is now retired from the active pursuits of life. Fannie E., is the wife of George E. More, a marble dealer of Hobart.

The life of Mr. Barlow has not been with out its sorrows, his most severe affliction having been the loss of his beloved companion, who departed this life May 6, 1893. Although not a confirmed invalid, Mrs. Barlow had never fully recovered from injuries which she received in October, 1882, when riding with her husband and Mrs. Augusta Foot. They were struck by a train while crossing the track, Mrs. Foot being killed outright, Mrs. Barlow injured severely, while Mr. Barlow had a very narrow escape from death. Both horses were killed. In his political views Mr. Barlow is a warm advocate of the principles of the Democratic party. Religiously, he is an Episcopalian, and is a Warden of the church in Hobart, of which his wife was also an esteemed communicant.

ORLANDO GOULD is a farmer by calling, and the owner of a valuable homestead on the West Brook road in the town of Walton. He is a native of Delaware County, born in the town of Walton, May 5, 1834; and during the many years that he has lived in this locality he has fulfilled his obligations as a good citizen, and has contributed his full quota toward the advancement of the community.

Mr. Gould is the scion of an excellent New England family, his grandfather, Eli Gould, Sr., having been a native of Connecticut, and one of the pioneers of Walton. He removed here with his family, and buying a tract of partly improved land, erected a frame house, which was his home until his death. Eli Gould, Jr., was born on the homestead of his parents in Walton, and was reared a farmer and lumberman. After becoming of age he started as a farmer on his own account, living on his father's farm for several years. He then purchased a farm at the foot of Walton Mountain, three miles from the village of Walton, where he lived for a number of years. Selling this, he then bought the farm where his son Orlando now lives, and here continued his agricultural labors, living to the good old age of fourscore years. His wife, Ophelia Wakeman, was a native of Connecticut, being the daughter of Epaphras and Abigail (Banks) Wakeman. She died at the venerable age of eighty-five years. Both she and her husband were members of the Methodist church. The names of the five children born to them were as follows: Alfred, Emily, Amelia, Adelia, and Orlando.

Orlando Gould was the youngest child of the parental household. During the days of his youth he remained at home, assisting on the farm, receiving his elementary education in the district school, and afterward for two or three terms attending the Walton Academy. After his marriage Mr. Gould lived for seven years on part of the homestead. In 1864 he entered into the livery business in Walton, buying out a stable owned by George Smith, devoting his time to that for the next two years. Disposing of his livery interests, he again went to New Jersey, where he lived for a year, learning the carpenter's trade which he followed for a time. He then returned to Walton, and, buying out the interests of the other heirs, soon after took possession of the homestead. He now carries on a substantial business in general agriculture, devoting his farm in the main to dairying, which he finds very profitable.

The first wife of Mr. Gould, to whom he was united in 1857, was Mary St. John, who was one of six children born to John and Sarah (Acker) St., John, early pioneers of Walton. She lived but a few years after their marriage; and Mr. Gould subsequently married Eliza Jane Kerr, the daughter of Joseph and Antoinette (Honeywell) Kerr. Of this last union two children have been born, Mary Anna and Frank Wheeler. In local affairs, Mr. Gould is a man of influence, and in whatever position he has been placed has acquitted himself in a creditable and praiseworthy manner. In politics he supports the Republican party, and has served as Inspector of Elections. He has been a stockholder and one of the directors of the Delaware County Bank. Socially, he is an active member of the Sons of Temperance. Religiously, he and his family are members of the Congregational church, toward the support of which they are liberal contributors.

HENRY ENGLAND, a retired merchant, has been an important factor in advancing the wealth and prosperity of Delhi, whose position among the flourishing villages and towns of Delaware County is due to the men whose excellent judgment singled it out as an eligible point for business, it being situated in the midst of a country possessing vast resources ready for development. Prominent among the keen, far-sighted men who took advantage of this condition was the subject of this personal history, who for more than half a century has been closely identified with its interests, and taken an active part in promoting its welfare. He is a native of England, having been born on April 21, 1807, near the city of Bath, where his father, John England, carried on the trade of cloth-dresser, dying, however, when comparatively young. He married Elizabeth Bleakley, a life-long resident of England, and a native of Bradford on the Avon. She was a beautiful type of true womanhood, and a conscientious member of the Baptist church, her long life of eighty-nine years being spent in doing good. She reared the following children: Rachel, Ruth, Thomas, Henry, Isaac, and George.

Until twenty years of age Henry England lived with is parents, obtaining a substantial education in the excellent schools of Bath, and a practical knowledge of the cloth-dresser's trade from his father. In the mean time he won the affections of an attractive girl, Mary Knapp, one of the seven children of William and Mary Knapp, the former of whom was the superintendent of a large cloth manufactory; and their banns were soon published. The same year, on May 6, 1827, their marriage was solemnized in the old church of Bradford Wells, England. The following day the youthful couple bade adieu to home and friends, and started on their wedding trip, going by stage coach to the coast, and then crossing the Channel, and spending the first month of their honeymoon in France. Finally, embarking at Havre de Grace in a sailing-vessel, they came to America, their long voyage of nine weeks and three days being one of pleasure. After landing in New York, they proceeded to Fishkill on the Hudson, thence, after a short stop, to Glenham, Dutchess County, where Mr. England began working at his trade. Five years later he removed to Poughkeepsie, where he continued at his occupation until 1839. In that year he came to Delaware County, and, securing employment with Mr. Titus, the owner of a factory in Delhi, remained with him for ten years. Mr. England then entered into business as the American agent for Hatfield & Shaw, boot and shoe manufactures of England. In 1844 the firm dissolved partnership; and Mr. England established a dry-goods business, opening a store on the corner of Meredith and Main Streets, in the building now occupied by Groat & Ferguson, of whom a sketch is given elsewhere in this book. From that time until 1884 Mr. England carried on an extensive and very lucrative business, occupying a conspicuous position among the leading merchants of the county. He then sold out to Bell & Honeywell, and has since lived retired from the active pursuits of life, enjoying the competency which he earned by his many years of honorable labor.

He has been twice married. Of his union with the bride of his youth were born three children - Theophilus, Henry J., and Emeline. Henry J., who married Elizabeth Barns on January 1, 1852, now resides in the South; and his household includes five children - Mary, Charles, Augustus, Libbie, and Jessie. Of these, Mary married Edgar Watkins; and they have two children - Bessie and Harry. Libbie married James G. Jester of Delhi. Augustus married Jennie Covert; and they have one child, Henry. Emeline, the youngest child, married Thomas Carter, the pastor of a Methodist church; and they are the parents of four children - Josie, Annie, George, and Harry. Theophilus, who was born October 2, 1834, was educated in the schools of Fergusonville, and was connected with his father in the dry-goods business until 1861, when, inspired by an earnest and patriotic zeal, he raised a company of one hundred men from among the best and most chivalrous of Delhi's population, and on October 21 went to the front as Captain of Company I, Eighty-first Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry. He was as brave and true-hearted an officer as ever drew a sword, and for gallant conduct and meritorious services was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He showed his valor in several hard-fought battles, among which might be mentioned those of South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, the advance on Petersburg, and, and many others. While passing over the battlefield after a severe engagement on June 18, 1862, and when stooping to give a gray-coated private from the Rebel army a drink from his canteen, he was shot by a sharpshooter, receiving his death wound. He was loved, honored, and respected by every man in his regiment; and his body was tenderly cared for and subsequently brought home, and is now interred in the beautiful cemetery of Delhi. He was the idolized child of his father, who has never fully recovered from the shock of this sudden bereavement. The Grand Army Post of Delhi takes its name from the memory of this heroic soldier.

A few months after the loss of this beloved son, sorrow again laid its chastening hand upon Mr. England in the death of his wife, who was taken from him, after a blessed companionship of more than thirty-five years, on the 25th of October, 1862. In her daily life she exemplified the teachings of the Methodist church, of which she was a consistent member.

Mr. England subsequently formed a matrimonial alliance with Mrs. Margaret Beller, widow of the late James E. Beller, and the daughter of Henry C. and Magdalen (Becker) Shaver, life-long residents of Schenevus. Her mother died at the age of sixty-two years, and her father at the venerable age of eighty-two years. Both of the parents were members of the Lutheran church. Mr. and Mrs. England attend the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is a member, having been one of the organizers, and in which he has held all the offices.

Mr. England is a straight and staunch Republican. He has filled several of the more important offices of the town, and served as Justice of the Peace for many years. He has always been a leader among men, and was for years a stockholder and a director in the bank. The beautiful home occupied by Mr. and Mrs. England was built in 1862, and is one of the most complete and attractive residences in the village.

SAMUEL M. WHITE, a practical and prosperous farmer of the town of Tompkins, was born
in the town of Kortright, September 10, 1838. He is of Irish descent, his parents,
James and Catherine (Pursell) White, having been born in the Emerald Isle,
the
former in the year 1793 and the latter in 1798. In 1818, soon after their marriage,
the emigrated to America, landing in New York City after a voyage of fourteen weeks.
They proceeded directly to Kortright, where Mr. White bought one hundred and fifty
acres of land, on which many improvements had already been made. He labored with
unceasing energy, and, as time passed on, bought other land, owning at the time of
his death a valuable farm of two hundred and fifty acres and being classed among the
leading farmers of the town. Politically, he was identified with the Democratic
party, and held liberal views in regard to religious matters; while his good wife
was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. They were the parents of nine
children, five of whom are now living, as follows: James, a farmer, lives in
Unadilla. John, also engaged in farming, resides in Kortright. Susan, the widow of
John B. Burdick, lives in Davenport. Samuel M. lives in Tompkins. Amelia is the
wife of E. N. Thompson, a farmer of Meredith. The deceased are: Edward, who died
when sixteen years old; Mary, who passed away at the age of twenty years; Henry, who
died when forty-five years old; and Catherine, at the age of fifty-one years.

Young Samuel spent the earlier part of his life in the town of Kortright, obtaining
his elementary education in the district schools and afterward attending the Delhi
Academy two terms. He remained under the parental roof-tree until twenty-nine years
of age, working most of the time on the home farm, although for three years he
worked out as a farm laborer, receiving for his wages three hundred dollars a year,
a portion of which he saved. In 1871 Mr. White purchased the farm where he has
since resided, and which was known at that time as the Brundage farm. To the eighty
acres that then consisted the farm he has since added by purchase, and now has a
beautiful homestead of one hundred and seventy acres. Here he is interested in
general farming and dairying, keeping twenty-four cows and young cattle, the
proceeds of his dairy yielding him an annual income of one thousand dollars. He
also makes a specialty of raising sheep, having a fine flock of twenty-six, of the
Shropshire breed.

Mr. White was united in marriage October 15, 1867, to Catherine M. Hammond, born in
Delhi, April 5, 1848, being a daughter of William and Maria (Burgett)
Hammond, both
natives of Delaware County. Her father was born in Delhi in 1806, and her mother in
Davenport in 1812. William Hammond's father Gideon Hammond, served in the
Revolution, and afterward, became one of the pioneer settlers of the town of Delhi,
where he took up a tract of wild land, and made his home thereon until his death.

Mr. William Hammond is still living on his farm in Delhi, and is an active, hearty
old gentleman, bearing well his burden of eighty-eight years. He has always been an
industrious and energetic man of business, evincing excellent judgment in the
management of his affairs. In religious matters he is liberal, and in politics is
an uncompromising Democrat. Mrs. Hammond passed to her rest in 1868, being then but
fifty-six years old. Three of the children born of their union are yet living, as
follows: David G., who lives in Peoria County, Ill.; Walter W., on the home farm in
Delhi; Catherine M., Mrs. White. Their other children were: Harmon S., who
enlisted to serve his country in the late Civil War, in the Sixth New Jersey
Volunteer Infantry, and died in Andersonville Prison, aged twenty-five years; and
Hulda A., the wife of J. D. Gardener, who died at the age of fifty-one years.

Mr. and Mrs. White have three children living, namely: Florence A., born June 26,
1872; Marsha M., born July 25, 1880; and Susan H., born April 16, 1886. A son,
William H., born September 22, 1875, passed to the life eternal on February 17,
1891. Mr. White is one of the useful and valued citizens of his town, and is
contributing his full share toward its prosperity and advancement. Mrs. White is a
conscientious member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and he is liberal in his
religious views. In politics Mr. White is a sound Democrat, and invariably casts
his vote in support of the principals of that party. Socially, he is a member of
St. Andrew's Lodge, No. 289, A. F. & A. M., at Hobart.

JAMES H. JENKINS, a prosperous lumber merchant of Union Grove was born April 14,
1860, at the family home on Barkerboom Creek, in the town of Andes, Delaware County.
His parents were Anson and Sarah (Mekeel) Jenkins. Anson Jenkins was born
December
3, 1833, in Roxbury, and was the son of James and Polly (White) Jenkins.
His
brothers, and sisters were Alonzo, Nathan, David, Egbert, Delilah, Elephan, Lucinda,
Ella, and Angelina. James Jenkins was in several different occupations in his
younger life; and in 1849, a number of years after his marriage, he bought one
hundred and thirty acres of new land in the town of Andes, where in company with
John Mekeel & Son he built a saw-mill on the Barkerboom Creek. Here they sawed
their lumber and rafted it down the river to Philadelphia. To this estate he
afterward added two hundred and seventy acres, on which he worked till his death, at
the age of seventy-two years. He was a man of great activity, accumulating quite a
large property, the care of which during his life occupied his whole attention. In
politics he was a Republican. His widow now lives with her son Nathan at Union
Grove.

Anson Jenkins, who came with his father to Andes, here grew to manhood, and worked
at clearing the land and running the saw-mill. He married Sarah Mekeel, daughter of
John Mekeel. This latter gentleman, already spoken of as the partner of the elder
Jenkins, was born October 6, 1798, and was the son of Lewis and Mary
(Birch) Mekeel,
natives of Connecticut, who came from there to the town of Middletown, and settled
on a farm of one hundred acres. Their children were John, Charles, George, Phebe,
Martha, Betsy and Axie. They were members of the Baptist church, and Mr. Mekeel was
a Democrat in politics.

The children of Anson Jenkins were: John W., deceased; James H.; and Emery, of whom
a sketch, with further account of the father and grandfather, may be found on
another page. James H. grew up in the town of Andes, and was educated in the
district school. At the age of twenty-two he married Inez J., daughter of James H.
and Melissa (Miner) Davis, farmers on Tremperskil in the town of Andes.
Mr. Jenkins
bought of Mr. Hitt a house below his saw-mill, which was built by Harris Hulbert.
This he has entirely remodelled, and here he dwells near his business. The work at
the saw-mill is in a flourishing condition, about two hundred thousand feet of his
own lumber being run, beside much custom work. The manufacture of shingles and
laths forms an important branch of his industry, which also includes planing and
matching boards.

Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins have one child, a son Roy, born October 6, 1882. They are
members of the Episcopal church, and he is a staunch upholder of the Republican
principles. Mr. Jenkins is widely known throughout this section for his extensive
lumber interests, and personally is held in high regard for his straightforward
business ways and manly character. He is much respected, and is one whose opinion
and advice in regard to materials for carpentry and cabinet-work are highly valued.

ELBERT O. SCOTT, attorney-at-law of Croton, Delaware County, N.Y., is a gentleman
who possesses rare qualifications for his profession, and enjoys a well-established
reputation as an able counsellor and advocate. He is a grandson of Caleb Scott, a
Connecticut farmer who fought in the Revolution, and three years before his death,
at seventy-four years of age, received a pension from the government. In 1812 he
and his wife, Phebe (Webb) Scott, with their two-year-old child, Harvey,
left the
land of their birth and removed to the town of Franklin, N. Y.

In 1831 Harvey Scott married Miss Mary Blair, who was born in Aurora, Portage
County, Ohio, daughter of Elam and Anna (McOnoughey) Blair. This worthy
couple were
natives of Hampden County, Massachusetts, whence in 1811 they moved to Ohio, where
they remained but one year, after which they returned eastward, and engaged in
farming in Stamford, Delaware County, and later in Jefferson, Schoharie County. Mr.
Blair died in 1865, at the advanced age of eighty-five, his wife surviving him nine
years. Mr. and Mrs. Blair were blessed with nine children, of whom these four
daughters still live: Mrs. Scott, the mother of the subject of this sketch;
Angeline Blair, a maiden lady of Franklin Village, aged eighty; Arvilla, who taught
in the public schools for sixty-one terms, but retired seven years ago, and now
lives in Croton; and Mrs. Juliet Shepard, a widow lady, who lives in Croton.

Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Scott spent most of their wedded life on the farm which Mr.
Scott's father bought eighty-two years ago; and here, on November 10, 1891, they
celebrated the sixtieth anniversary of their marriage. On this joyous occasion
there were present two of the ladies who had acted as bridesmaids at the wedding -
Mrs. Scott's sister and Mrs. Hine (Nell Green); and it is needless to say
that they
occupied the places of honor next to the bride and groom. At the death of Harvey
Scott, the farm of one hundred and sixteen acres adjoining the old homestead was
left to his son Elbert. Mrs. Harvey Scott is still living, in her eighty-third
year, spending the summers with her son Elbert in Croton, and going to her other son
at Oneonta for the cold, hard winters. She is a well-preserved lady, being still
active both in mind and body.

Elbert O. Scott was born March 6, 1839, in Franklin, where he attended the district
school until about fourteen years old, after which he entered the academy, and at
eighteen began the study of law. In 1860 he was admitted to the bar, for which he
was fully prepared one year earlier, but had not reached the required age. Previous
to this, he had been in charge of the office of Judge Lamont in Schoharie County
during the five months absence of the judge at the meeting of the legislature. For
one year he remained in this office, practising on his own responsibility. In 1863
he left for New York City, where, in company with his brother, he became a salaried
attorney for Henry A. Burr, which position he occupied for three years. After one
year in business with Major J. B. Caryl in Candor, Tioga County, he opened an office
for himself in that flourishing village, and continued to practise his profession
with no other help than his own well-balanced brains, remaining there for twenty-two
years. During his residence in Candor, Mr. Scott was a candidate for Special County
Judge; but, as he was a Democrat and the county Republican, he was defeated,
although in his own district he stood far in advance of the other candidate. Mr.
Scott now spent a year in Owego, and in the spring of 1889 removed to Croton.

In 1860 Mr. Scot married Miss Anna R. DeGraff, of Schoharie County; and two sons
have been born to them: Harry D., a commercial traveller in Syracuse, who is
married and has one son; and William H. Scott, and accomplished electrician, who for
several years has occupied a responsible position at Fishkill on the Hudson.

An honorable man, highly intellectual and strongly practical, Mr. Scott stands in
the front rank of his profession; and the high regard in which he is held gives
abundant proof of his ability as a lawyer and his strong and noble character.

AMASA PARKER COOK, who has converted his home at Butternut Grove into a most
delightful summer hostelry, which is well patronized by the inhabitants of the
neighboring cities, is one of the best-known and most popular citizens of the town
of Colchester. He is the great-grandson of John Cook, who came to America as an
English soldier, and was wounded at the battle of Monmouth.

During his confinement in a hospital John Cook met Miss Dolly Parker, whom he
afterward married, and who became the mother of four children - Daniel, Joseph,
Prudence, and Catherine. He lived for a short time at Collicoon, Sullivan County,
where he was engaged in the lumber business, and whence he moved to Pepacton in the
town of Colchester, there building a log house and barn. The family, being
subsequently attacked by Indians, were obliged to flee for their lives, leaving the
redskins to carry off all of their earthly possessions which were of any value and
to burn all the buildings on the place. After peace was again restored, John Cook
returned to the old location, which was unusually attractive, rebuilt the demolished
house and barn, cleared the land, and raised grain and cattle. He remained there
for several years, but in 1797 sold the farm, and with his family and some stock
crossed the mountain to Beaver Kill, where he bought one hundred and sixty acres of
land, which he cleared, erecting buildings, and sending the logs down the river to
Philadelphia. Bears, deer, wolves, and panthers were frequently killed, the two
former for food, the latter to prevent their depredations. A herd of elks, at first
twelve in number, which lingered near the clearing, for some time supplied the
family larder with game. Trout, also, were very plentiful in the neighboring brooks
and creeks, and furnished an agreeable and wholesome article of diet. This was
fortunate, as, although John Cook raised grain on his farm, he was obliged to carry
it to Kingston to be ground, the nearest mill being in that town. The journey to
this mill and return occupied four days, and so was only made when absolutely
necessary. John Cook made his home at Beaver Kill for the remainder of his days,
but died at Downsville while on a visit to his daughter, at the advanced age of
eighty years, his wife also living to be very old.

Joseph, son of John and Dolly Cook, was born in 1777, at Collicoon, Sullivan County,
where he grew to manhood, and married Miss Eleanor Carrier, afterward settling at
Liberty in the same county. They were the parents of four children - Halsey,
Munoris, Alonzo, and Lucretia. At Liberty Joseph Cook built a hotel, of which he
was proprietor for ten years, at the end of which period he returned to the old
homestead and with the assistance of his brother operated the farm there, being at
the same time engaged in the lumber business. He was a volunteer in the War of
1812, taking part in the engagements at Brooklyn and Sackett's Harbor. When peace
was declared, he once more returned to his old occupation, and devoted much of his
leisure to hunting, killing over four hundred deer, which with other game he
exchanged for groceries. He was an ardent Democrat, and died, a firm believer in
the principles of that party, in 1851, his wife living until 1879.

Halsey, eldest son of Joseph Cook, was born at Liberty Village in 1820, and removed
with his parents in 1832 to Beaver Kill, where he was educated in the common
schools, and followed the occupation of his father, that of a lumberman and farmer,
in which he was very successful. By patient labor and economical living he managed
to accumulate enough money to purchase a farm of one hundred and sixty acres near
that of his father, which he also bought some time later, and was then the possessor
of seven hundred acres. Halsey Cook married Elsie Lawrence; and had two children:
Amasa Parker, the subject of this notice; and Emily, who was born July 21, 1850,
married Horton Cook, and died in 1875, leaving one daughter, Viola. Halsey Cook
resided on his farm until his death in 1867. He was a Republican, and always voted
with that party. His wife passed away in 1880.

Amasa Parker Cook was born February 8, 1847, and was but four years of age when he
came to his present home, where he was reared to manhood, and received his education
in the common schools of the town. His days were devoted to the work on the farm
and lumbering, and his evenings he spent in studying and reading. By this means he
became well informed and a good business man. He began to ship his lumber to
Philadelphia when he was but twenty years of age, sending one thousand dollars'
worth down the river in a year. For five years he continued in this business,
cutting the trees himself.

When twenty-eight years of age, he married Rebecca, daughter of William Davidson,
who lived on Campbell Mountain, and had six children - Charles, Rebecca, Elizabeth,
William, Nettie, and Fannie. William Davidson was the son of William Davidson, Sr.,
who was the father of seven children - John, James, Thomas, William, Nelson, Walter,
and Nettie. Mr. and Mrs. A. Parker Cook are the parents of four sons, namely:
Harmon, born December 22, 1875, a pupil at Walton Academy; George C., born February
10, 1878; Edmond, who was born August 21, 1880; and Walter, born June 24, 1885.

Mr. Cook owns one hundred and eighty-two acres of farm land and a fine, large house,
where he accommodates twenty-five summer boarders, the situation of the estate on
the bank of Beaver Kill giving exceptional facilities for fishing and other sports.
He has erected commodious barns, and he keeps on the premises ten choice Jersey
cows. This pleasant summer resort is about one and one-half miles from the railway
station, Cook's Falls, and during the heated season is well filled with city
residents, who seek the cool and quiet of country life. Mr. Cook is an earnest
member of the Prohibition party, in whose cause he is an able champion. He is an
energetic, practical man, whose success in life is largely due to his own untiring
efforts, who performs his duties as a citizen in a conscientious manner, and enjoys
the esteem and good will of his townspeople.

HECTOR SHAW is a native of Hamden, Delaware County, N.Y., and an influential
and
worthy citizen of that town, for the welfare of which he is ever laboring. He is of
Scotch ancestry, being a son of Donald Shaw, who was born in Argyle, Scotland, in
1788, and was brought to America by his parents when but nine years of age. Twenty-
four years later he married Janet McNaught, who was also Scotch, being a native of
Dunbartonshire on Loch Lomond, where she was born in 1798, a daughter of John
McNaught. She sailed for the New World in 1817; and in 1821 they were married in
Bovina, and settled in Hamden, on the flats one mile below the village, where they
were at one time possessors of one thousand acres of land.

They became the parents of nine children. of whom six are still living, two sons
and one daughter having died in the prime of life. One son, Donald Douglas Shaw,
was a brilliant young lawyer, a graduate of Yale in the class of 1856, who studied
his profession in Albany and was elected Assemblyman, but died December 29, 1859,
and was buried on the day when he would have taken his seat in the legislature. He
was a genial, scholarly man, with prospects of a brilliant future, whose loss was
keenly felt by a large circle of admiring friends made in his short but effective
career. Another son, Augustus Shaw. died of consumption, in Hamden, March 13, 1861,
at the age of twenty-nine years. The children now living are: Alexander, a retired
merchant, with a family at Delhi; Marshall, of Rock Island, Ill., who was an officer
in the Civil War, but was forced by illness to resign his commission; Hector, the
subject of this sketch; Edwin, a farmer near Hamden; Catherine, wife of Daniel
Crawford; and Arthur, who married Jennie Bostwick, daughter of Marcus and Deborah
(Kellogg) Bostwick, and is the father of four children. Donald Shaw, the
father, died in September, 1865. His widow, Janet, is still living, and at ninety-
six years of age her mind is yet clear.

Hector Shaw was born in the village of Hamden in 1828, and received a common school
education. He has been twice married. His first wife, Harriet Bastow, was the
mother of two children, namely: Arabella, who died when five years of age; and
Malcom, an electrician in Albany, who is married and has a daughter. On February 2,
1866, Mr. Shaw married Miss Rachel McClaren, of Hamden, daughter of David and
Catherine (Coon) McClaren, the father a native of Glasgow, Scotland, and
the mother of New York State. Mr. McClaren was a farmer in Hamden, where he died in
1850, aged fifty years. His wife, Mrs. Shaw's mother, survived him about thirty-two
years, and passed away after reaching her seventy-eighth year. Mrs. McClaren was
the mother of three daughters and one son, the latter dying when an infant of
eighteen months. These daughters are: Mary C., wife of the Rev. George Brown, of
Walton; Mrs. Shaw; and Emily, wife of John Gemmell, of New York City, who resides in
Syracuse.

Mr. and Mrs. Shaw are the parents of two children, as follows: David Alexander,
who was a student at Delhi Academy, a graduate of Phillips Academy at Andover,
Mass., and of the business college at Poughkeepsie, and is now a book-keeper at
Mishawaka, Ind.; and Catherine, wife of the Rev. H. A. Percival, a Presbyterian
minister of Mishawaka. Mr. Shaw has lived in his large, pleasant house in the
village for the last four years, his farm of three hundred and eighteen acres, three
miles from Hamden, being occupied by one of his tenants. His wife is a member of
the Presbyterian church, where she is a constant and interested attendant. Mr. Shaw
is a Republican, of which party organization he has long been an active member. He
is held in great esteem by his associates and fellow-townspeople, whose interests he
ever has at heart, and for whose progress and improvement he is always ready to lend
a helping hand.

THOMPSON K. WALKER, the genial and capable proprietor of the Downs House at
Downsville, N.Y., is a man of versatile talents and varied experience, among other
things having had much to do with educational matters. He is a descendant, in the
fifth generation, of Philip Walker, who was of English ancestry, and whose son,
Philip, Jr., was a brave soldier in the Revolution, and afterward served as Town
Clerk in the town of Rehoboth from 1787 to 1801. These facts show the character and
tendencies of the early Walkers, and those who have followed have duly exemplified
the same. This Philip, Jr., was father of Thompson Walker, who was born in Rhode
Island, June 11, 1786, and died May 12, 1842, in Roxbury, N.Y. He was a carpenter,
and, coming to Roxbury in his early manhood, here followed his trade until his
death.

By his wife, Mary Lynch, he had four children - George W., Daniel L., Delia C., and
Henry L. He was a Democrat, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Henry L. Walker was born in Roxbury, September 6, 1818, and was educated in the
district schools, after which he started in business, first driving a team for Isham
Brothers, tanners and merchants, and after a year being promoted to a clerkship, in
which he remained three years. He then went as clerk for Matthew Griffin, and after
three more years went into business with Harvey Keator, establishing himself in
Kingston, Ulster County. Many years later he went to Roxbury, and bought the old
homestead and the farm connected with it, comprising in all about one hundred and
forty acres. His wife was Allice Griffin, born March 10, 1814, a daughter of
Ezekiel and Charlotte (White) Griffin. Her father was born April 24,
1776, and her mother on June 11, 1779, a daughter of John and Tabitha White. Mrs.
Allice Griffin Walker died January 10, 1887. Henry L. Walker was an industrious and
a very prosperous man, and one who is well remembered for his great generosity. In
politics he was a Republican. He died February 13, 1890, and had two children -
Thompson K., and Mary C., the latter of whom was born October 18, 1854 and died
February 4, 1874.

Thompson K. Walker was born in Kingston, March 22, 1849, and while yet a boy
removed to the old home at Roxbury. There he attended the academy, and then
finished a full course at the Franklin Institute. He was book-keeper for Dr. Keator
for a while, and when but twenty years old began teaching school at Olive, Ulster
County N.Y. Here he remained for two years, and then accepted the position of
principal in the union graded school at Napanock in the same county. After holding
this position for fifteen years, in 1883 he resigned, and engaged in the real estate
and insurance business in Middletown. During this time he bought the Holding House
property, and there for about two years he conducted a hotel. By this time an
accomplished landlord, thoroughly acquainted with the business of inn-keeping, he
came to Downsville, and bought the Downs House, which is beautifully located among
the hills and in close proximity to some of the best trout brooks in the country.
What sportsman who makes his yearly visit to these pleasant streams does not know
the hospitality of "mine host" of the Downs House? The place is well managed,
everything being neat, orderly, and in good condition; and those travelling on
business, as well as those seeking sport and recreation, are glad to lodge at this
hostelry, the doors of which are always open to welcome the stranger.

In 1871 Mr. Walker married Evelyn M. Munson, daughter of John H. and Julia
(Hodge) Munson. Her father, who was born in 1815, a son of Herman and
Julia Munson, was a farmer in Delaware County. He and his wife raised a family of
six children: Ainer, who resides at the old homestead; Albert H., who lives at
Sheridan; Milton D., of North Franklin; Dr. J. A. Munson, of Woodbourne; Mrs.
Josephine McMinn, of Oneonta; and Mrs. Walker, of Downsville. Herman Munson, father
of John, married Sarah Hecock, and came from the Eastern States, settling at
Meredith. There they carried on their farm for about forty years, and thence moved
to Oneonta, N.Y., where Mr. Munson died. His widow still lives in Oneonta. They
were Universalists, but John H. Munson's family are members of the Methodist
Episcopal church. The wife of John H. Munson, Julia Hodge, was a daughter of John
A. and Evelyn (Goodrich) Hodge, who raised a large family of children,
namely: Julia, wife of John Munson; Rebecca, wife of Major Osterhout; Evelyn, wife
of C. Clark, of Owego; Lucretia, wife of I. Wilson, of Illinois; Lavinia; Walter, a
Major in the late war; Henry and William, who died young; and John, a Lieutenant in
Company K, One Hundred and Forty-fourth New York Infantry, now living in New Mexico,
and practising medicine as well as being interested in mining. Mrs. Munson is still
living at Oneonta. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Thompson K. Walker has one child, Harry L. Walker, born December 7, 1872, who is
with his father in the hotel business, connected with which they also have a large
livery. Mr. Walker is a Republican and a man of liberal religious views, being ever
ready to adopt those principals which embrace the most modern and progressive
thought. Fraternally, he is a Mason, belonging to Downsville Lodge, No. 464, A. F.
& A. M., Wawarsing Chapter, No. 286, Ellenville N.Y., Rondout Commandery, No.
53, Rondout, N.Y., and Dewitt Clinton Consistory, No. 11, Middletown, N.Y. He is
also a member of Lancelot Lodge, No. 189, Knights of Pythias, Middletown, N.Y. He
has shown marked ability for carrying on a line of business in which it is most
difficult to please, his success being such as to win the plaudits of his patrons.
A highly intelligent gentleman, possessing a well-stored and well-trained mind,
courteous, obliging, and genial, he has a happy faculty for making his guests feel
at home, and for retaining them as friends.

The portrait of Mr. Walker on another page will be recognized with pleasure by many
who have tarried for a longer or shorter time under the hospitable roof of the Downs
House, here perhaps first realizing the warm welcome of a wayside inn.

HIRAM E. STOUTENBURG, cash collector of the Adams Express Company, and a
business
man of ability, is a native of Delaware County, having been born in Delhi on October
14, 1842. The first of his paternal ancestors to come to America was his great-
great-grandfather, Jacobus Stoutenburg, who emigrated from Holland early in the
eighteenth century, in 1717, and, settling in Eastern New York became a pioneer of
Dutchess County, where he purchased land and improved a farm. He raised a large
family; and among them was Tobias Stoutenburg, father of Peter Stoutenburg, who was
the grandfather of Hiram E. Peter Stoutenburg after his marriage moved still
farther westward, coming to Delaware County and buying wild land in the town of
Kortright, being among the earliest settlers of that town. Erecting the customary
log cabin of the pioneer, he spent many a long year in the arduous labor of clearing
his land and placing it under cultivation. He was, however, prospered in his
undertaking, and resided here until his death, at the ripe old age of ninety years.
He married Lydia Borden, who bore him twelve children; namely, William, Edward,
Tobias, Jackson, Alfred, Charles, Silas, Ann, Sarah, Eliza, Catherine, and Maria.
His wife also spent her last years on the homestead, living to an advanced age. His
mother, who after the death of her husband left her home in Dutchess County, to live
with her grandson, William Stoutenburg, lived to the remarkable age of one hundred
and two years; and her venerable form is held in vivid remembrance by the subject of
this sketch, her great-grandson.

William Stoutenburg, eldest son of Peter and Lydia, was reared to agricultural
pursuits, remaining on the parental homestead until attaining his majority.
Following in the footsteps of his ancestors, he, too, became a pioneer, settling in
the village of Delhi at a time when two or three houses sheltered its entire
population. In addition to farming, he also followed the trade of a millwright; but
has long since retired from active life, and is now spending the sunset years of his
life in comfort and plenty. The maiden name of his wife was Caroline Peake. She
was a native of Delhi, and the daughter of Oliver and Elizabeth (Clark)
Peake, who were of New England birth. To them were born five children - Sarah,
Maria, Hiram E., William C., and Jane. The latter died at eight years of age. Sarah is the wife of A. M. Burdick, a retired farmer of Delhi. Maria, the widow of
George Hutson, lives in the village of Delhi. William C. was wounded at the battle
of the Wilderness, and soon afterward died from its effects, at Philadelphia, Pa.
The mother, a woman of much force of character, and a faithful member of the Baptist
church, departed this life in 1886, at the age of threescore and ten years.

Hiram E., the third child of his parents, and their eldest son, received a good
education in the district schools and academy of Delhi, assisted in the management
of the home farm until after the breaking out of the late Rebellion, when, in
response to his country's call, he enlisted, September 15, 1861, in Company G, One
Hundred and First Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry, under the command of
Captain A. Buckham. This regiment belonged to the Third Army Corps, which was then
commanded by General Heintzelman, afterward by General Sickles; and in December,
1862, it was consolidated with the Thirty-seventh New York Volunteer Infantry,
commanded by Colonel Keeley, and Mr. Stoutenburg became a member of Company A, which
was commanded by Captain Dougherty. In May, 1863, the regiment was united with the
Fortieth New York; and here Mr. Stoutenburg remained until September 10, 1864, when
he was removed to the hospital, from there receiving his honorable discharge in the
spring of 1865. He has a long and honorable war record, having been an active
participant in forty-two of the most hotly contested battles of the Rebellion,
besides numerous skirmishes. The following are some of the most important battles
in which he was engaged: with the One Hundred and First New York at Fair Oaks,
Seven Pines, Peach Orchard, Savage Station, Chickahominy Swamp, White Oak Swamp,
Charles City Cross-Roads, Malvern Hill, second Bull Run, Groveton, Chantilly, and
Fredericksburg; with the Thirty-seventh New York at Chancellorsville; with the
Fortieth New York at Antietam, Bealeton, Bermuda Hundred, Brandy Station, Bristoe
Station, Callett's Station, Cold Harbor, Culpeper, Deep Bottom, Gettysburg,
Harrison's Landing, Jerusalem Plank Road, Kelley's Ford, North Anna River,
Petersburg, Rapidan, Ream's Station, Snicker's Gap, South Mountain, Spottsylvania
(1863 and 1864), Sulphur Springs, Va., Wilderness, Wapping's Heights. A
number of these were from one to four days' continuous fighting.

Mr. Stoutenburg was promoted to the rank of Orderly Sergeant three times, but
twice, on account of consolidation, was reduced. He, however, held that position at
the time of being wounded, and was discharged as Orderly Sergeant of Company E,
Fortieth New York Regiment. He was three times wounded during his army life, the
first two wounds being slight; but the third was occasioned by a shot from a
sharpshooter's rifle, which shattered the bone of the arm to such an extent that he
was obliged to have it amputated at the right shoulder joint, which necessitated a
six months stay in the hospital.

Returning to Delhi after the cessation of hostilities, Mr. Stoutenburg was soon
after elected Under-sheriff, a position which he held for three terms of three years
each, from 1865 to 1874. Since then he has been with an express company, first in
the employ of the National Express, and more recently in that of the Adams Express.
He is well fitted for the responsible position of cash collector, which he is
filling with such fidelity, being a most genial and accommodating man, with whom it
is a pleasure to transact business, and one whose sterling integrity, and every-day
honesty have gained for him the entire confidence of his employers and of the public
in general. Mr. Stoutenburg is quite prominent in England Post, No. 142, Grand Army
of the Republic, of Delhi, of which he was elected Commander in 1889, serving one
year. He had previously been Quartermaster since 1866, and still holds that
position.

The union of Hiram E. Stoutenburg with Miss Frances A. Hine, a daughter of Reiley
Hine, of Franklin, was solemnized on October 14, 1865. Their only child is a
daughter, Estella M., who married John J. Burke, a prominent business man of Delhi,
of whom a sketch appears on another page of this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Burke are the
parents of one child, a little daughter named Leda. Politically, Mr. Stoutenburg is
a stanch supporter of the principles of the Republican party. Religiously, he and
his family are valued members of the Second Presbyterian Church, and active laborers
in the good works of that organization.

EDMUND H. ROSE bears the name that has long been known and highly respected
in
Delaware County. Among the pioneers of this section of the Empire State was one
Hugh Rose, who came here from Scotland prior to the Revolutionary War. He settled
in the town of Stamford, being the first to make his home on the stream of water
that in his honor has since been known as Rose's Brook. Taking advantage of the
water-power, he put up a saw and grist mill, the very first in the vicinity, and for
many years followed his former occupation of a miller. On his arrival he took up
six hundred acres of land, but this he let revert to the government. He
subsequently, however, acquired two hundred acres that are now included in the
homestead of the subject of this sketch, his great-grandson. His mill was built of
logs, as was also the house which sheltered himself and family. In his home on
Rose's Brook he rounded out a full period of years, dying there at the age of
eighty-six. He was a religious, God-fearing man, and one of the prime movers in
organizing the Presbyterian church at Kortright Centre.

His son, Hugh Rose, the second, was born in Stamford, and was, like him, both a
miller and a farmer. He and his family at first occupied the primitive log cabin,
subsisting principally upon the game from the forest and the productions of their
own land, and were clothed in "homespun," which was spun, woven, and fashioned into
garments by the dexterous fingers of the good housewife. When he first moved into
his humble habitation, it had neither doors nor windows; but the appearance of a
panther led him to hasten his operations and hang the doors. He was persevering,
and cleared a fine homestead, on which he resided until his departure from this
life, at the age of sixty-four years. He married Elizabeth Barlow, who bore him ten
children, of whom only one, Edmund Rose, of Delhi, is now living. His wife survived
him, living until seventy-three years old. Both of them were consistent members of
the Reformed Presbyterian church at South Kortright. In politics he was a Whig.

The third Hugh Rose, son of the second Hugh, was born on the farm which his father
cleared from the wilderness, and afterward succeeded him in its ownership. Toiling
early and late to place his land under cultivation, and adding somewhat to its
acreage, he had at the time of his decease, when only forty-four years old, a farm
of two hundred and forty acres. He married Isabelle Blakely, the daughter of
William Blakely, of whom a sketch appears on another page of this volume. She
survived him, dying on the old homestead, at the age of sixty-four years. Of the
four children born to them three are now living, as follows: James H., a resident
of Stamford; Mrs. Gibson Grant, of Stamford; and Edmund H.. Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Rose
were held in high esteem by all who knew them, and were valued members of the United
Presbyterian church of South Kortright. Politically, he was a Republican.

Edmund H. Rose was the youngest child of Hugh Rose, the third, his birth occurring
August 14, 1855, on the farm where he now resides. He received the rudiments of his
education in the district school, and this was further advanced by an attendance at
Walton Academy. Following in the pathway marked out by his honored ancestors, he
has devoted his time and attention to the various branches of agriculture; and,
having come into possession of the old homestead, where his entire life has been
spent, he has made constant and valued improvements, and owns now one of the finest
estates in this locality. He has two hundred and eighty-eight acres of land, on
which he has a comfortable residence and substantial farm buildings. His farm is
devoted chiefly to dairying, his fifty fine Jersey cows yielding him an average of
eight cans of milk a day throughout the year.

Mr. Rose and Miss Ida L. Kilpatrick were united in marriage on February 19, 1879.
The home circle established by this pleasant union has been gladdened by the birth
of five children, namely: Clarence A., born September 5, 1881; Everett Bruce, born
July 23, 1887: Edmund H. and Ethel J., twins, born January 13, 1889; and Anna Belle,
born August 9, 1891. The parents of Mrs. Rose, Richard and Juliet
(Dennison) Kilpatrick, were for many years esteemed members of the
agricultural community of Kortright, where her father's death occurred in 1880. His
widow is still living, and resides in Stamford.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Rose are valued members of the United Presbyterian church at
South Kortright. In politics he casts his vote with the Democratic party. He has
shown good judgment in the management of his business and farming operations, and
has met with excellent success. In the various relations of life he acquits himself
well, sustaining the character of an estimable and valued citizen, neighbor, and
friend.

ORSON J. ELLS, of Walton, Delaware County, N.Y., is one of the oldest and
most
successful business men of this town, where he is the proprietor of a large
furniture establishment, and has won a well-deserved reputation as a man of ability,
integrity, and uprightness, the competency he is now enjoying being the result of
the assiduous labor of many years. The family name was formerly Eells, but was
changed by the last generation, one "e" being dropped, making it Ells, as above
spelled.

Jacob Eells, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in New Canaan,
Conn., in 1785, son of Moses Eells, who learned the trade of a weaver, at which he
worked throughout his life, using, as was the custom in those early times, an old-
fashioned hand loom. Moses Eells married Miss Comstock; and they were the parents of
eight children, six of whom lived to rear families of their own. Both Moses Eells
and his wife lived to be over ninety years old, not an uncommon occurrence in those
times.

In Colchester, Delaware County, in 1806, Jacob Eells married Miss Maria Halliday,
who was born in Johnstown, but removed with her parents to Colchester when but three
years of age. She was the daughter of William Halliday, a revolutionary soldier,
who served for seven years in the war, being held as a prisoner during a portion of
that time. Although a man small of stature, he possessed wonderful strength,
activity, and endurance. Tradition has it that he reaped grain with a sickle for
ninety-six years in succession - an unparalleled record. He married Miss Hitt, and
ten children were the results of this union. A few years before his death Mr.
Halliday lost the site of one of his eyes, but this misfortune did not prevent his
being an attentive reader of the Bible to the last. He died at the extraordinary
age of one hundred and four years, a Deacon of the Baptist church, in whose
doctrines he was a firm believer.

Jacob Eells and his wife began their domestic life in a most humble manner in
Walton, he working at his trade of carpenter and cabinet-maker, an occupation
requiring the finest mechanical skill. Here were born their eight children, six
daughters and two sons, namely: Alonzo, who died in 1835, aged twenty-two years;
Antoinette, wife of Robert Shaw, whose death occurred in Laurel, Delaware; Louisa, wife of Sylvester Simpson, who died in Binghamton, N.Y., in 1858; Cornelia, wife of
Whiting Beebe, who has also passed away; Catherine, wife of Ceely Rood, of
Binghamton; Orson J., the subject of this sketch; Sally M., of Boardman, Wis., widow
of Dr. C. R. Powers; and Harriet E., wife of Lowell Harding, of Binghamton. On
March 30, 1876, Mr. Eells passed away, aged ninety-two years; and one year later his
wife followed him to the eternal home, she being ninety-three years old. Both had
been Congregationalists in early life, but later had adopted the Methodist faith.

Orson J. Ells was born July 25, 1818, in Walton, Delaware County, where he attended
the district school until fourteen years of age, when he began working at the trade
of carpenter and cabinet-maker, in which he was instructed by his father, with whom
he remained until his marriage. This interesting event occurred on June 16, 1841,
Miss Martha Strong, becoming his bride. She was a native of Franklin, and daughter
of Alfred Strong. Two daughters - Augusta and Estella - were born of this union.
Augusta became the wife of A. S. Chamberlain, and died in 1876, at the age of
thirty-two years leaving one daughter, Cora Ells, now living in Seattle, Wash., the
wife of William Perkins, a banker of that city. Estella is the wife of Hobart M.
Cable, a member of the Cottage Organ Company, which operates a large factory in
Chicago. Mr. Cable formerly lived in Massachusetts, and was for three years a
member of the State legislature, serving on several important committees. For nine
or ten years he was a member of the School Board of Hyde Park, a suburb of Boston,
and for three years was one of its selectmen. Mr. and Mrs. Cable have three
children, as follows: Martha, wife of Howard Morenus, who is employed by the
Cottage Organ Company, and who resides in Chicago; Hobart, a lad of twelve years;
and Mary, a bright little miss of ten summers.

It is now nearly five years since Mr. Ells was bereft of his wife, her death, on
the 7th of March, 1890, being the result of a severe fall on the 17th of January
previous. His spacious residence, with its extensive lawn and fragrant garden, is
one of the finest in Walton. Here Mr. Ells is quietly passing the eventide of life,
enjoying the esteem and affection of neighbors and friends, his home being
frequently enlivened by the visits of his daughter and grandchildren.

JAMES ABNER MORSE, a well known carpenter of Halcottsville, in the
eastern part of Middletown, N.Y., was born on Hubble Hill, in this town,
July 5, 1838, son of Joseph and Abbie C. (Ellis) Morse. His
grandparents were John and Martha (Mead) Morse. His
great-grand-father, Joseph Morse, was a native of Wales, and when a
young man came to this country, and first settled on a farm in
Connecticut, but afterward came to Delaware County, and settled on a
farm at Batavia Kill. Four children survived him - John, Ira, Joseph, and
Henry.

John Morse, the eldest son of the emigrant, left his home early in life, and
took up a tract of land in the wilderness, which he cleared, and began
farming. He lived in a log house, and endured many hardships while
endeavoring to establish a home, being compelled to go on foot forty
miles to Kingston for supplies. He married Martha Mead, whose father
was also a pioneer settler, and who became one of the progressive
farmers of the district. Later Mr. Morse bought of Amos Sanford a farm of
three hundred acres at Hubble Hill, where he spent the rest of his life. He
died at the age of ninety-one, and his wife at the age of eighty. Both were
members of the Baptist church, and in politics Mr. Morse was a Whig. He
left eleven children, three sons and eight daughters - Phoebe, Anna,
Cynthia, Arenia, Sally, Marinda, Mercia, Useabee, Joseph, Abner and
Ezra.

Joseph Morse, son of John and Martha, was born at Batavia Kill. When a
young man, he bought one-half of his father's three-hundred acre farm at
Hubble Hill, and lived on it for many years. His wife was Albie C.,
daughter of Elijah and Eunice Ellis, the former of whom was a farmer of
Delaware County. She is still living in Ulster County, at the advanced age
of eighty-four years. Mr. Morse finally sold his farm at Hubble Hill; and
with his son James he bought another one of two hundred and thirty acres
at West Conesville, Schoharie County. Here he lived the rest of his life,
dying at the age of sixty-five. Mr. and Mrs. Morse had nine children -
John A., Jason A., James Abner, Jerome A., Mary J., Ezra J., Elijah W.,
Hiram K., and Eunice A.

To return now to the subject of this sketch, James Abner Morse received
his education in the common schools at Hubble Hill. Ambitious and
energetic, at the age of eighteen, three years before attaining his majority,
he bought with his brother John a farm of one hundred and fifty-six acres,
which they worked together for one year. He then sold his interest to
John, and worked for him the following year. James and his brother
Jason next became joint owners of the farm, and together worked it a year
and a half, when James sold his interest, and bought another farm in the
vicinity. In 1864, feeling that his country needed his services, the
Rebellion not yet being quelled, he enlisted in Company G, One Hundred
and Forty-fourth Regiment, New York Volunteers, and served one year as
private. On his return, in 1865, selling his farm to his brother John, he
bought a smaller place; and shortly afterward he and his father bought a
two-hundred-and-thirty-acre farm in Schoharie County.

About this time Mr. Morse was marred to Mary A. Owens, daughter of
Thomas and Emeline (Sanford) Owens. Mr. Owens was a
well-known carpenter and millwright of Delaware County. The maternal
grandparents of Mrs. Morse were members of the Baptist church, and
lived to be about eighty years of age. They left five children: William R.;
Emeline, Mrs. Owens; Electa; Phoebe; and Ransom W. Mr. Morse
remained in Schoharie County two years, and then sold his interest to his
brother John, and bought a farm at Hubble Hill, on which he lived for
twenty years. During this time he did much to improve the land and the
buildings thereon, greatly increased the value of the place, making it one
of the finest farms in that region. He finally sold it, and in 1890 bought a
half-acre of land at Halcottsville, where he built a large double house, in
which he and his family now lives. At present he is successfully carrying
on the business of a carpenter.

Mr. and Mrs. Morse have three children. The eldest, Emma, born
December 1, 1867, wife of Henry S. Davis, of Hubble Hill, has three
children. The second daughter, Celestia J., was born November 18 1870;
and John, the only son, was born December 6, 1879. In politics, Mr.
Morse is a Republican, and always takes a lively interest in all public
matters. He and his wife are members of the Baptist church, in which
they are active workers. They are much devoted to their home and family,
and are widely known and respected.

DAVID R. HARRIS, foreman of the woodworking department of Crawford
Brothers, carriage manufacturers of Delhi, N.Y., is an expert in his line of
business, possessing unusual mechanical ability and artistic skill, and
discharging the duties of his responsible position with practical sagacity
and discretion. Mr. Harris is a native of the Empire State, having been
born in Columbus, Madison County, August 9, 1839. His father, Devillo
Harris, was also a native of Columbus, where his grandparents resided
many years. They finally removed to Edmeston, Otsego County,
however, where the grandfather spent his remaining years. His wife, who
bore him four children - Devillo, Celia, Freelove, and John - died in
Columbus.

Devillo Harris, like the majority of the farmers' sons of his day, worked on
the farm, attending school when he was not needed at home, and
remained with his parents until twenty-one years of age. He began
farming on his own account in Otselic, where he rented a farm. He then
worked for a few years for his wife's father, Lyman Carrier, going thence
to Michigan, which was than an almost uninhabited country and presented
the appearance of a vast wilderness in some of its districts. He bought
land, and improved a comfortable homestead, on which he thereafter
lived and where he died. He married Amanda Carrier, who died in New
York City. They reared three children - David R., Martha, and Amelia.

David R. Harris, who was the eldest child and the only son born to his
parents, spent the first ten years of his life beneath the parental roof, and
from that time on lived in various places, the first being on the farm of an
uncle, in Otsego County, New York. He next worked as a farm laborer in
Otsego, going thence to his grandfather's for whom he worked for a
twelvemonth. He was afterward in Brookfield, working for a Mr. Lamb,
then in Coontown, West Edmeston, finally in Edmeston, in the
manufactory of Julius Lines, of whom he learned his trade of carriage-
making. Later he worked at his trade in Wheeler, Steuben County,
whence he went to Edmeston, where he remained until 1862. In that year
Mr. Harris began his career as a soldier, enlisting to defend his country's
flag in Company F, One Hundred and Twenty-first New York Volunteer
infantry, serving two years and nine months, and in the mean time being
promoted from a private to the rank of Corporal. With his regiment he
was in the thickest of the fight in several battles and skirmishes, and on
June 21, 1863, received a severe wound at the battle of Petersburg. He
was honorably discharged, May 17, 1865: and, returning to the State of
his birth, he established himself in business in New Berlin, continuing
there five years. The following twenty-two years Mr. Harris was employed
in a manufactory, the Hanford wagon works, in Unadilla, the last ten years
of the time being foreman of the shop. While there he was solicited to
take his present position with Crawford Brothers, the inducements offered
being such that he accepted them, coming here October 17, 1892, since
which time he was labored with credit to himself and to the perfect
satisfaction of all concerned.

Mr. Harris was married in 1861 to Anna Beatty, a daughter of Alexander
Beatty, of New Berlin; and of their happy union three children have been
born - Carrie, Nellie, and Hattie. Carrie, the eldest daughter, died at
Unadilla, in her sixteenth year, in 1878, of typhoid fever. Nellie married
Philip Brady, a cigar-maker in Unadilla; and they have two children - Guy
and Leo. Hattie is a student in the State Normal School, preparing herself
for a teacher.

Politically, Mr. Harris is a stanch supporter of the Republican ticket, and is
a prominent member of the C.C. Siver Post, No. 124, Grand Army of the
Republic, in which he was always taken an active interest, having been
Commander of the post, and Senior Vice-Commander and Chaplain. He
has also been Aide-de-camp in the Department Staff of the State. Both
Mr. and Mrs. Harris are active workers and conscientious members of the
Baptist church, and deeply interested in the Sunday-school connected
with it, she being superintendent of the school, and he one its most
valued teachers.

ANDREW J. CORBIN, a prominent merchant of the village of Bloomville,
in the town of Kortright, was born in Roxbury, Delaware county, February
23, 1836. He is a grandson of McKeach Corbin, of Dutchess County, who
in early manhood left his native place, and, with the pluck and energy
requisite for the life of a pioneer farmer, became one of the first settlers in
Roxbury. Here his intelligent and persevering efforts were crowned with
success, and he was soon the possessor of a fine farm of one hundred
and sixty acres, and the husband of a good wife. Children, seven in
number, were sent to bless him home; and he had the happiness of
seeing all of them reach maturity. Upon his pleasant farm Mr. Corbin's
busy, but tranquil life, was spent; and here, at the age of threescore years
and ten, his days were ended. His sense of justice, his kindliness of
nature, and broad intelligence, all inclined him to liberality in religious
views, though he lived in a time when bigotry and intolerance were far
more common than to-day. He was a true Democrat; and, like Richard
Rumbold, "never could believe that Providence had sent a few men
into the world ready booted and spurred to ride, and millions ready
saddled and bridled to be ridden."

Philtus Corbin, son of McKeach Corbin, was born in Roxbury, in the
memorable year 1812. His boyhood was spent upon his father's farm.
When manhood was reached, he married Maria Benjamin, who, like
himself, was a native of Roxbury. After the patriarchal manner of life,
Philetus Corbin brought his bride to the home of his parents, which he
made his permanent abiding-place. Here he brought up his family; and
here, on the fruitful acres his father had wrested from the wilderness, the
son's life work was accomplished. Philetus Corbin's children were three
in number: Andrew J., the subject of this sketch; Hiram, who died at forty-
three years of age; and Polly M., who married Orrin A. Meeker, and died
at the age of fifty-seven. Philetus Corbin became of the leading farmer of
Roxbury, where at one time he was the owner of several hundred acres of
land. His knowledge and interest were not limited to the art of
husbandry, as is proved by the fact that he served his town in various
public capacities. His judgment in estimating the value of property made
him especially capable as an Assessor. His interest in education led him,
in conjunction with John B. Gould (the father of the late eminent
financier, Jay Gould), to establish Beechwood Seminary. His
humanitarianism influenced him to do all that lay within his power for the
good of the community. His religious sentiments were in harmony with
those of his worthy father; and politically, he supported the same
Democratic policy. Mr. Corbin's wife was taken from him when she had
reached the age of forty-seven. She was a woman whose devout nature
found congenial expression in the worship of the Methodist Episcopal
church. His active life was spent upon the farm where his father dwelt
and toiled. His last days, however, were passed in the village of Roxbury.
To his temperate life, his varied and wholesome interests, and his habits
of mental and physical activity, he doubtless owed his longevity. It was
not until the age of eighty-one years had been reached that this estimable
man was laid to rest.

Andrew J. Corbin, of Bloomville, was the eldest son of Philetus and Maria
Benjamin Corbin. He was born in the very month when John Quincy
Adams was making his noble, single-handed fight in Congress
(which lasted for eleven days) for the right of petition. At this
time the wonder which had been excited in the minds of the people by
Morse's invention of the electric telegraph - the scientific miracle of the
age - was still unabated. It was a period of intense interest and great
fruitfulness in the history of the country - a period likely to have a
quickening influence upon a mind which was then beginning to unfold.
Andrew's boyhood was passed in Roxbury, and he early became a
student at Beechwood Seminary. Among his companions at this time who
became famous was Jay Gould. The two boys became intimate friends,
often visiting one another and sharing the same room. Andrew had a
bright mind and scholarly tastes, and did himself much credit while at
school. On leaving the seminary his ability and reputation were such,
though only a lad in his teens, that he readily obtained a position as
teacher for five terms in his native town, and also for a short time in Ulster
County. At the age of seventeen, he became interested in mercantile life,
and entered the employ of A.H. Burnham, of Roxbury, as clerk, for his first
year's work receiving one hundred and fifty dollars. He remained with Mr.
Burnham five years, showing marked and increasing mercantile ability. At
the end of this apprenticeship, in company with Mr. H. B. Montgomery, he
bought a store, where he did business for several years. In 1865 he sold
out, and came to Bloomville, to establish himself in the store he still
occupies.

The following year, 1866, Mr. Corbin was united in marriage with Lucy
Ann, daughter of Aaron Champion; but their wedded happiness was of
brief duration. She died in 1867, and her babe was soon laid beside its
mother. In 1870 Mr. Corbin married Sarah E. Dales, daughter of George
and Angeline Dales. Mr. Dales had been among the early settlers of the
village, and was largely interested in the manufacture and sale of
proprietary medicines. His widow now makes her home with her
daughter, Mrs. Corbin.

Remembering with what ancestry Mr. Corbin was blessed, it is not
surprising that he had within him the capacity for great usefulness. He
has a well-filled general store, in connection with an extensive trade in
flour and grain, and also deals largely in eggs. He carries a stock worth
twenty thousand dollars; and in 1893, despite the general depression, he
did a business amounting to nearly a hundred thousand dollars. The
methods he has employed are the result of unusual sagacity and unerring
judgment. Though Mr. Corbin has but reached the prime of life, he enjoys
the distinction of being the oldest merchant in the town, while his success
is proverbial. His large business interests now demand his entire time;
but in the past he has held public offices, the duties of which he has
discharged with honor to himself and satisfaction to his townsmen. He
was Supervisor one term in Roxbury, and three terms in Kortright. Mr.
Corbin is a member of St. Andrew's Lodge of Free Masons in Hobart.
Like his father and grandfather, he is a Democrat; and he has also
inherited their liberal religious opinions. Mrs. Corbin is a member of the
Episcopal church at Bloomville; and its benevolent work is furthered by
her kindly help. Mr. Corbin is a large-hearted, public-spirited man, from
whom any worthy appeal is sure to meet a ready response, whether the
call be for effort of his mind or hand, or for gift from his time or purse.

GEORGE W. BOOTH, Postmaster at Sidney Centre, a gentleman in the
prime of life, although a veteran of the late war, is one of the most popular
and well-known native residents of Delaware County. He was born in the
town of Franklin, May 31, 1846, and is of sturdy New England stock, his
father Isaiah Booth, being a native of Pittsfield, Mass. That State was
also the birthplace of his paternal grandfather, who removed thence to
Delaware County after marriage, and , becoming one of the pioneer
settlers of the town of Walton, was largely instrumental in promoting its
advancement and growth. Earlier ancestors came from England to
Massachusetts, but cannot be traced, as the family records are lost.

Isaiah Booth accompanied his parents to this county, and, settling in the
town of Franklin, purchased one hundred and twenty-five acres of land,
and there improved a fine homestead. He was a man of unusual activity
and ability, energetic and progressive, and was numbered among the
leading farmers of his vicinity. The maiden name of his wife, to whom he
was united in 1859, was Philanda Bronson. She was a native of Otsego
County. Mr. Booth died in Franklin, when fifty-five years old, and his
widow at the age of seventy-four years. She was a woman of much force
of character, a valued member of the Congregational church; and her
husband was liberal in his religious views. Of the eleven children born of
their union six are now living, the following being their record: Mrs. Mary
Youngs, wife of Norman Youngs, resides in Otsdawa, Otsego County.
Mrs. Fanny Haskins is a resident of Franklin. Mrs. Jessie Murdock lives
in Masonville, Delaware County. George W. is our subject. Mrs. Rosella
Roof resides in Sidney Centre. Frank E., a commercial traveller, resides
in the West.

George W. Booth, the elder of the two sons of Isaiah, was reared and
educated in the town of his nativity, attending first the district schools, and
afterward the Franklin Academy. When seventeen years of age, he
began the battle of life on his own account, his first labor being on a farm.
At this time the late Civil War was in progress; and in September, 1864, in
the nineteenth year of his age, he enlisted in the Thirteenth New York
Heavy Artillery, under the command of Captain H.C. Pratt. With his
regiment he participated in several skirmishes, serving faithfully until the
close of the war, and received his honorable discharge June 28, 1865.
After returning home Mr. Booth engaged in various occupations, his
versatile talents winning him success in most of his undertakings. He was
for a while actively engaged in the livery business, surrendering that to
become agent for an insurance company, and subsequently engaging in
the hotel business in this county for eighteen consecutive years efficiently
and profitably, managing hotels in Hancock and Walton, Downsville and
Sidney Centre. While in Downsville, Mr. Booth held various responsible
official positions, and for three years was in government employ in the city
of Washington, having received during the first term of Grover
Cleveland's administration his appointment as superintendent of the
Treasury stables, and afterward holding the position of clerk in the
Auditor's office in the Post-office Department. He was reappointed to this
office during the administration of Benjamin Harrison, and resigned before
its close. In 1893 he removed to Sidney Centre, and was appointed
Postmaster here in February of the present year, 1894, assuming the
responsibilities of his office on the 1st of April.

An important step in the life of Mr. Booth was his marriage on October 6,
1856, to Miss Prudence Hall, who was born in the town of Delhi, Delaware
County, December 29, 1847, being a daughter of Asahel and Pamelia
(Jackson) Hall. Their union has been blessed by the birth of
one child, a daughter, Emma A., a most estimable young lady, who
assists her father in the post-office.

Mr. Booth is an influential member of the Democratic party, and socially,
is a prominent member of Hancock Lodge, No. 552, A.F. & A.M., of
Hancock Lodge, No. 1026. Knights of Honor, and of Hancock Post, No.
483, Grand Army of the Republic, for one year being Senior Vice-
Commander of the post. He was charter member of England Post, No.
142, Grand Army of the Republic, Delhi, N.Y., and a charter member of
Fleming Post, No. 280, Downsville, N.Y., and is a charter member of
George N. Riedfield Post, No. 512, Grand Army of the Republic, Sidney
Centre, of which he is at the present time Commander. Religiously, both
he and his wife are esteemed members of the Congregational church, and
active workers in its support.

ARCHIBALD FOREMAN, a prosperous farmer, of Scotch birth and
ancestry, now residing on his one-hundred-and-eighty-one-acre farm in
the town of Bovina, presents a good example of the thrift, energy, and
success-compelling qualities of most of Scotia's sons who seek a home in
the New World. His paternal grandparents were Robert and Agnes
Foreman, life-long residents of Scotland, making their home for the most
part in the good old town of Edinburgh. The former was a slater by trade,
and had a family of six sons and one daughter, all of whom are now
deceased.

Archibald Foreman, Sr., son of the foregoing was the next in line. He
grew to manhood in his native land, and when of proper age took for his
wife, Margaret Hood. He was a farmer, but, like the father of Scotland's
great poet, Burns, was too poor to become the owner of the land he
worked. He raised a family of eight children, four of whom now survive,
namely: James, now a retired carpenter, residing in Edinburgh; Janette,
who became the wife of William Yule, and lives with her husband in
Canada; Betsy, wife of Andrew Wallace, and resident in Berwickshire,
Scotland. Agnes, Robert, Catherine, and Margaret, all of whom grew to
maturity and married, are now deceased. The father of these children
died in Berwickshire, at the age of seventy-five, and his wife when about
seventy. They were members of the Presbyterian church, the former
being an Elder.

Archibald Foreman, son of the preceding, grew to manhood and received
his education in his native country, Scotland. The day of his nativity was
February 11, 1827. In 1852 he emigrated to America, landing in July of
that year, after a voyage lasting nearly six weeks. He wasted no time in
the large cities, but came directly to Delaware County, New York, settling
in the town of Bovina. He first worked out by the month for Daniel Frazier;
and, as it was in the haying season and help was scarce, he received one
dollar per day for his services. In 1854, feeling the influence of the gold
excitement, he went to California, via the Isthmus of Panama, the trip
occupying three weeks. On arriving at his destination, he engaged in
mining, and so continued for nearly six years, meeting with fair success,
and undergoing the privations and typical experiences of a miner's life. At
the end of the time mentioned he grew tired of the life, and returned to
Bovina.

On October 21, 1861, Mr. Foreman was united in marriage with Miss
Devina Laidlow, who was born in Roxburyshire, Scotland, daughter of
David and Ellen (Hart) Laidlow, both natives of the same
shire. Mr. Laidlow was a shepherd by early occupation, and came to
America in 1851, settling in Bovina, where he bought land and engaged in
farming. He was an industrious man, and after a well-spent life died on
his farm at the age of seventy years, his wife departing this life at the age
of sixty. They were both faithful members of the United Presbyterian
church. Their family consisted of six children, four of whom now survive,
namely: Isabella, wife of William Wight, of Delhi, N.Y.; Helen, who
married William Cook, and resides in the town of Bovina; Margaret, now
Mrs. George Currie, of Bovina; and Devina, Mrs. Foreman. The other
children were Robert, who died at the age of thirty-two, and George, who
lived to the age of forty-nine.

In 1862, the year after his marriage, Mr. Foreman purchased the farm
where he now lives, and on which he earned his first dollar after landing
on American soil. He has since devoted his time to its cultivation with
very happy results. He has a heard of twenty cows, Jersey grade; and
the farm, which contains, as above mentioned, one hundred and eight-
one acres, is very productive. In all he may be considered as a
prosperous and successful man, his good fortune being due to his own
habits of industry and perseverance, under the blessing of Providence.
Mr. and Mrs. Foreman have four children, three sons and a daughter,
namely: Archibald, Robert G., and James F., all residing at home, and
engaged in farming; and Maggie B., a young lady attending school, and
like her brothers, living at home.

In 1889 Mr. Foreman, desirous of seeing once more the land of his birth
and the friends of his early years, took a trip to Scotland, remaining about
three months, and pleasantly renewing old recollections. He has served
his adopted town of Bovina as Road Commissioner (three
terms) and Assessor, filling the latter office two terms. His politics
are Republican, and the family are attendants and members of the United
Presbyterian church at Bovina Centre.

EUGENE B. SOUTHWORTH, a worthy citizen of Trout Creek, Tompkins,
Delaware County, N.Y., was born in Phoenix, Otsego County, May 19,
1855, and is of Pilgrim ancestry. His grandfather, Nelson Southworth,
was born in Otsego County, and, after being educated in the district
schools, learned shoemaking, and then became proprietor of a hotel at
Seward. While engaged in this occupation, he was converted to the
Methodist faith, and soon gave up the hotel business, and devoted
himself to shoemaking and preaching. At the breaking out of the war he
removed to Delaware County, settling at Masonville, where he purchased
about three hundred and fifty acres of the best farm land in that section.
He was well informed on legal matters, and assisted in many trials at the
courts in the vicinity of his home. For the last three years of his life he
was engaged in mercantile business in Loomis, where he died at the age
of seventy-four years, in 1888. He married Jemima Finch, of Otsego
County; and sixteen children were born of this union, of whom the
following lived to reach maturity, and have families of their own: Keziah,
Austin S., Emery R., Adeline, Lysander D., Lydia, Nelson, William, Henry
A., Gurley S., and Lois.

Austin S. Southworth, eldest son of Nelson, was born in Seward,
Schoharie County, and, after receiving his education in the district school
at Seward, began to teach school when but fifteen years of age, and at
seventeen entered the Methodist ministry. For a time he preached in
Otsego, and then went to Edmeston. He was next at Morris two years,
and went thence to Bainbridge, where he remained one year. Later he
preached two years at Gilford. In July, 1862, he enlisted in Company A.,
One Hundred and Fourteenth Regiment New York Volunteers, at Oxford,
as First Sergeant, and served throughout the terrible conflict. He was
wounded in the foot by a shell at Cedar Creek, in the Shenandoah Valley,
and was discharged from the service on account of disability. But he
enlisted in his old company, and was then transferred to the Ninetieth
New York Veteran Volunteers, and served on year in Georgia.

At the close of the great struggle he engaged in farming at North Walton,
preaching at Sidney Centre, North Walton, Merriottville, and Little York.
After a time he disposed of his farm and entered the life insurance and
sewing-machine business. He preached at Clarksville, Albany County, for
three years, and then removed to Wheelerville, where he was engaged in
his good work for three years. His next parish was at Gloversville, where
he remained for one year; and after that he was employed as book-
keeper for the Harmony cotton-mills at Cohoes, also preaching in the
Independent Methodist church of that town for two years. His next move
was to Schenectady, where he was one of the organizers of the
Independent Methodist church, of which he became pastor, and was also
employed there by the Appleton Encyclopaedia Company for two years.
At the expiration of that time he removed to Philmont on the Hudson,
where he preached one year. He then settled in Albany, being again
employed by the Appleton Company. After a year there he went to
Chicago, his family going to live with his son Eugene at North Walton.
For five years he was employed in Chicago, and then returned to Walton.
While in Chicago he began to write a work on optimism, entitled
"The Bright Side of Life," three parts of which have already
appeared in pamphlet form, and when completed, will be bound in one
volume. Since that time Mr. Southworth has lived in retirement, and now
resides in Ware, Mass., with his son, the Rev. Victor Emanuel
Southworth, pastor of the First Unitarian Church.

He married, at the age of seventeen, Miss Jane E. Gage, of Milford,
Otsego County, N.Y., whom he first met when they were both employed in
a cotton-mill at Cooperstown. They were the parents of thirteen children,
namely: Eugene B.; Thaddeus D.; Emerson; Nettie A.; Victor and
Victoria, who were twins; William A.; Ellen; Irena Vashti; Minnie M.; and
Walter; Charles and Ira, who have passed away. Mrs. Southworth still
lives at Walton on the farmed owned by the family there, and is employed
as a nurse in that vicinity.

Eugene B., eldest son of the Rev. Austin S. Southworth, was educated in
the district school and at Walton Academy, after which he worked on the
farm until sixteen years of age, when he took charge of a flour-mill at
Clarksville, Albany County. Two years later he went to Wheelerville,
Fulton County, and learned the currier's trade in a tannery owned by ex-
Governor Claflin. This trade he followed for eight years. He then rented
a farm in North Walton, remaining there for seven years, after which he
purchased the farm where he now resides. It contains one hundred and
forty-four acres, nearly all of which is under cultivation, over forty acres
having been cleared and ploughed in three years. When he moved to his
present farm, it would support but eight cows and a team; but he now
keeps twenty-four cows, five horses and forty sheep. His income in cash
has resulted from the farm products, and for the year ending April 1,
1894, amounted to about two thousand dollars. His farm is rich in mineral
paint, part of which was disposed of by a former owner. Mr. Southworth is
a Republican in politics, and is a public-spirited citizen.

Mr. Southworth married, in Sidney, Miss Nellie Scott, daughter of James
E. and Mary (Gardner) Scott, of Beach Hill, Masonville.
David Scott, the father of James E., removed to Masonville from
Queemans, Albany County, N.Y., and was engaged in farming and
carpentering. James E. Scott was born at Masonville, where he also
followed the life of a farmer and a carpenter. He married Mary Gardner, a
daughter of Andrew Gardner, of Tompkins; and they had eight children:
Nellie, the wife of the subject of this sketch; Fred; Elmer; Inez; Oscar;
Flora; Willie; and Wallace, who died young. Mr. and Mrs. Eugene B.
Southworth are the parents of eight children now living: Mabel C.; Alice
Pearl; Henry A.; Nettie A; Edith Maud; Alta May; and Thaddeus D. and
Mary J., who are twins. They have been called upon to part with three
children, who died when very young.

MRS. SARAH RICH, who lives on the Rich homestead of two hundred
and seventy-five acres in Almeda, in the town of Stamford, N.Y., and
carries on the place with marked ability, is the widow of Stephen Rich.
The Rich family, hers by birth as well as marriage is one of the oldest and
best established in the county.

The present record begins with James Rich, who was born in New York
City in 1764, and was therefore a boy eleven years old when the
Revolution began, and still older when the patriotic tide reached his native
city. By trade he was a tailor, but died at the early age of thirty-five, only
ten years after his marriage and in the same year with the Father of his
Country. His wife was Mary Altgelt, also a native of the metropolis, where
she was born, July 30, 1769. She outlived her husband many years, and
twice entered again the holy estate of matrimony. Her second husband
was Joseph Thomson; and the other was Robert Forrest, of Stamford,
who left her the third time a widow. Her own death occurred in Stamford
on December 6, 1857. To her first husband she bore three sons, Stephen
Altgelt Rich, a grocer in New York City, grandfather of Mrs. Sarah Rich,
was born August 4, 1790, during Washington's first Presidency, and lived
till 1858, when Buchanan was in the White House.

The next son, to whose line this sketch specially relates, was born
October 23, 1791, and was named for his grandfather. James Rich was a
Stamford farmer, and carried on the place subsequently owned by his son
Stephen. This he did so practically and progressively as to make
agriculture a profitable pursuit. He was an old-time Whig, and an Elder
and Trustee in the United Presbyterian church in South Kortright. His first
wife, Miss Helena Marshall, was born in New York City, October 13, 1792.
They were marred in 1816, just a week before Christmas, when the
second peace with the mother country had been finally declared, and
praises of General Jackson's warlike pluck echoed on every hand; and
she died on Christmas Day, 1835, aged forty-three, while Jackson was
President, so that the great Christian holiday and America's democratic
and autocratic statesman were peculiarly associated with her life.

From this union came ten children, two of whom survive. Henry Marshall
Rich was born September 12, 1819, and lived, unmarried, on the
homestead with his brother's widow until his death, August 24, 1894. He
was a member of the Presbyterian church, and a Republican, greatly
respected by his associates. Robert S. Rich was born March 7, 1823,
and is a merchant in Hobart village. Helena Jane was born on February
24, 1832, and is now the widow of Hector Cowan, of Stamford, of whom a
sketch may be found elsewhere in this volume. The eldest child, James
Altgelt Rich, a Stamford farmer, named for his grandparents, was born in
October, 1817, and died March 5, 1894. Mary Rich was born February
17, 1821, and died unmarried in New York City on April 3, 1842. Stephen
was born October 8, 1824; and he died July 6, 1884, at the sound age of
sixty. Of him more hereafter. Thomas Rich, a farmer, was born August
28, 1826, and died in Mexico on the last day of April, 1852. Alexander
Rich was born on the first day of November 1830, became a New York
plumber, and died February 18, 1854. Ann Eliza, twin sister of Helen,
died in October 1889, at fifty-seven. James Rich's first wife, as already
stated was Helena Marshall; but he was married again. The second wife
was Jane Southard, a native of Dutchess County, and by her he had three
children. The eldest, Hannah Rich, born July 17, 1838, married William
B. Peters, of Bloomville, of whom a sketch may be found in its proper
place in this volume. John Rich was born December 14, 1839, and died
March 19, 1885, in Jacksonville, Fla., where he was acting as agent for
the Mallory line of steamers. Isabella Rich was born April 10, 1841, four
days after the country was appalled by the sad news of the death of
General Harrison, when only a month in the Presidential chair. She
married Rev. James M. Stevenson, and died December 19, 1893. Thus
we see that James Rich was indeed a patriarch, with one more child than
Jacob, of the Bible history he so loved. He was also an Elder in the
Presbyterian church, and a Whig in politics, but would have rejoiced over
the triumph of Abraham Lincoln, which occurred three years after Mr.
Rich's death on the homestead, July 10, 1857.

The father of James Rich's first wife, Henry Marshall, was born in
Scotland, and came to America before his marriage. He studied
medicine, became a successful practitioner in Kortright in pioneer days,
and reared a boy and six girls, all of whom have passed away. Dr.
Marshall died in Hobart at threescore and ten, an Elder in the
Presbyterian church, and a Whig in politics. His wife also lived to a good
old age.

Stephen Rich grew up on the Stamford farm where he was born, and
which had been bought by his grandmother, Mrs. Mary Altgelt Rich
(Thomson) Forrest, of its former owner, Mr. Sheldon, early in
this century, and upon which the widowed Mrs. Stephen Rich now
resides. After attending the district school, Stephen went to New York
City when he was eighteen, and found work with James Buchan &
Co., manufacturers of soap and candles. In due time he was able to buy
an interest in the concern, and pursued a successful trade until 1865,
after the war, when he returned to Stamford, bought the old homestead,
passed his last days there farming, and died July 6, 1884.

He was married May 6, 1869, at the mature age of forty-five, to his cousin,
Sarah Rich, a native of New York City, the daughter of Stephen Altgelt
Rich and his wife, Jane Oliver, who was born October 22, 1788. These
parents were married May 12, 1812, by the Rev. Robert Forrest. Stephen
A. Rich died August 29, 1858, and his wife on February 25, 1868. They
had ten children, half of whom survive. Charlotte and Rachel are both
widows in New York City, the former having married William Patterson,
and the latter Mr. Buchan, of the firm above mentioned. Jane Rich lives
with her sister Sarah on the homestead. Elizabeth Rich is the wife of
James Rintoul, of New York City. Sarah Rich married her kinsman,
Stephen Rich, as before stated. The five deceased children are as
follows: James B. was born on the first day of March, 1813, and died in
Alabama, August 12, 1844. Mary Struthers Rich was born March 18,
1815, and died January 28, 1892. Robert Forrest Rich, born January 3,
1820, died November 11, 1872, in New Jersey. Hannah Thomson was
born November 19, 1822, and died March 27, 1852 in New York City.
Andrew Mather Rich was born December 23, 1823, died August 17, 1826.

Mrs. Stephen Rich belongs to the United Presbyterian church in Kortright,
in which her husband held the birthright office of Elder. He was also a
Republican and a thoroughly good citizen, and left his widow well
endowed. Both the land and house are valuable. In her management of
the place Mrs. Rich was aided by her brother-in-law, Mr. Henry Rich, until
the time of his death.

HENRY S. GRAHAM, who is one of the foremost citizens of Delhi, is
carrying on a prosperous business as a dealer in hardware, at No. 477
Main Street. He is a native of this State and county, having been born in
Meredith on October 23, 1860. He comes of pure Scotch ancestry, the
first of his forefather to emigrate to this country being his great-
grandfather, James Graham, who was born and reared to manhood in
Scotland. Crossing the stormy Atlantic in search of a fortune, he came
from New York City, where he had disembarked, to Bovina, and there
engaged in tilling the soil for a time, and also established a mercantile
business on a small scale. He afterward removed to Franklin, where he
followed agricultural pursuits for many years, but later became a resident
of Meredith, where he passed the remaining years of his earthly
existence. He reared a family of eleven children, seven boys and four
girls, of whom two are still living, one in Afton, N.Y., and one in Toledo,
Iowa.

Henry R. Graham, son of James, was reared a farmer, and followed that
peaceful occupation through the days of his active life. He purchased a
tract of timbered land in the town of Meredith, from which he cleared and
improved a comfortable homestead, and there made his abiding-place for
many years. Later he removed to Delhi, where he departed this life at the
age of seventy-three years. He married Esther Stilson, a daughter of
Cyrenus Stilson, and a native of Meredith, of which town her parents were
pioneer settlers. She is still living at the venerable age of eighty-six
years, and is one of the oldest members of the Baptist church at Delhi.
She became the mother of five children, namely: Edwin J., the father of
Henry S.; Rosella, deceased, who married Edward Frisbee, of Delhi;
Emeline, the wife of Darius Grant, pastor of the Baptist Church, Westville,
N.Y.; Elmer M., who married Jennie Mein, of Meredith; and Lyman S., who
married Jennie Kemp, of Meredith.

Edwin J. Graham was born in Meredith, January 19, 1832, and was
reared on the farm, tilling the soil in season, and attending the district
school in the winters. On attaining this majority he left the parental
homestead, and was for some time employed as a clerk in a store. He
subsequently purchased a farm; and, putting in practice the knowledge
which he had acquired in the days of his youth, he successfully engaged
in its cultivation for several years. In 1865, he came to Delhi, and
invested a portion of his money in the store, where he continues carrying
on a flourishing business in general merchandise. Ann Eliza Bill, who
became his wife in 1857, was a native of Meredith, but of New England
descent, being a daughter of Charles Bill and Lois
(Woodworth) Bill, both of whom were natives of Connecticut,
the latter being the daughter of a substantial farmer of that State. Four
children were born of their union, as follows: Charles W., who was
engaged with his father in business until January, 1880, when he entered
into the drug business; Henry S.; George E., now a resident of California;
and Grace M., now wife of Henry R. Gibbs, and residing in Sewickley, Pa.
On June 10, 1888, the family fireside was made desolate by the death of
the beloved wife and affectionate mother, who passed away at the age of
fifty-seven years. She was a conscientious member of the Presbyterian
church, to which her husband belongs. In politics he is a staunch
Republican.

Henry S. Graham was five years old when he came with his parents to
Delhi, where he has since resided. His elementary education, which he
obtained in the public school, was supplemented by an attendance at the
Delaware Academy. As soon as old enough to be useful, he became a
clerk in his father's store, a position which he occupied until the spring of
1881. In the fall of that year, Mr. Graham opened a grocery store,
purchasing a complete stock of groceries, and continuing in that business
until 1886, when he sold out his establishment, and entered the
employment of Wright and Frost, dealers in hardware. He subsequently
purchased their goods and building, and has since conducted a large and
very successful business, which he has extended and increased from
year to year.

Mr. Graham has been twice married. His first wife, to whom he was
united on July 8, 1884, was Frankie B. Ward, a daughter of William Ward,
a former resident of Tioga County, but later superintendent of the Delhi
Woollen-mill. After a brief period of wedlock she died in November, 1886,
leaving one child, Bessie. His second wife, Mary A. Russell, is a
daughter of the late John Russell, of Delhi, who was for many years
engaged here in trade. Of this union two children have been born - E.
Russell and Howard R. Mr. Graham is a staunch supporter of the
Republican party, and is a true and loyal citizen, always using his
influence to promote the best interests of the town, and well deserving the
esteem and favor in which he is held by all. Both he and his wife are
members of the Second Presbyterian Church in Delhi.

WILLIAM H. EELLS, editor and proprietor of the Walton Times, is
conducting this paper with signal ability and success, and holds a
prominent position among the journalists of Delaware County. He is a
native of this State and county, having been born in the town of Walton,
April 16, 1853, youngest son of Stephen Decatur and Mary
(Marvin) Eells, and comes from good New England stock,
being a lineal descendant of one John Eells, who emigrated from old
England to Massachusetts in 1628.

A son of the emigrant, Samuel Eells, born in Hingham, Mass., January 23,
1629, was married August 1, 1663, to Annie, daughter of the Rev. Robert
Lenthal, of Plymouth, Mass.; and they reared seven children. Their son
Samuel, born in Milford, Mass., April 2, 1666 was twice married. His first
wife, Martha, died on October 27, 1700. His second wife, Widow Bayor,
nee Russell, bore him a son named John, who was baptized April 1,
1703, was graduated from Yale College in 1724, and became a minister
of the gospel, presumably a Congregationalist. He married Annie Baird,
January 11, 1727, and died in New Canaan, Conn., October 15, 1785.
His two children were: Anna, born May 1, 1729; and Jeremiah, born
December 21, 1732.

Jeremiah Eells, the great-great-great-grandfather of William H., was a
life-long resident of New Canaan, and was there engaged in farming and
shoemaking. He married Mrs. Louse Benedict, a Huguenot of France,
and the daughter of Dr. Benten, of Norwalk, Conn. Their eldest son,
John, born November 16, 1765, married Anna Mead, the daughter of
General John Mead, who during the Revolutionary War had command of
the Continental troops stationed near the neutral ground between Horse
Neck, now Nyack, and New York, and on whose farm General Israel
Putnam rode down the steep precipice and escaped the British dragoons.
Their children were as follows: John, Jr., born February 24, 1786;
Benjamin B., born March 8, 1788, Meade, born July 3, 1790; Samuel,
born in Walton, March 12, 1793; Mary, born May 12, 1795; Baird, born
October 10, 1797; and Allen, born May 13, 1800. Some years after their
marriage, which took place on December 20, 1784, the parents of these
children came to Delaware County, and were among the earliest settlers
of Walton. John Eells established the first hotel of the place, running it for
nineteen years. He was one of the leading citizens of the town, and
served nineteen years as Justice of the Peace. Taking up a tract of wild
land, he cleared up a good farm, on which he spent the latter years of his
life. The father of Mr. William H. Eells, Stephen Decatur Eells, is in
possession of the desk, now about one hundred years old, on which John
Eells during his official life did all of his writing. It is well preserved, and is
remarkable in conception and in workmanship.

Meade Eells, who was born in New Canaan, was little more than an infant
when his parents removed to Walton, where he was reared. He was a
lumberman, was in the War of 1812, and died at the age of eight-six
years. He married Philena daughter of Dorman Johnson, who was the
keeper of a hotel in Walton for many years. They reared seven children,
as follows: Stephen Decatur, Allen, Sylvia Ann, Hannah Marvin, Philena,
Mary, and Julia. The mother passed away in 1865, at the home of
George Marvin in Walton. She was a most estimable woman and a
member of the Congregational church.

Stephen Decatur Eells, the father of William H., was born on the parental
homestead in that part of Walton known as Mount Pleasant, November 3,
1815. He was the recipient of good educational advantages, and after
leaving the district school, was fitted for college, and matriculated at
Oberlin, but was unable to complete his course. He was industrious and
ambitious, and, having but little money, supported himself while in college
by working as a painter. This trade he completed after his return to
Walton, and for upward of threescore years was the leading painter of the
village. Having during these years of labor acquired a competency, he is
now living in retirement in the village of his birth. His union with Mary
Marvin, a daughter of Jared Marvin, was celebrated on November 12,
1840, the date of the marriage of Queen Victoria. They have reared four
children, namely: John M.; Ellen M.; Emma Isabel, who died in 1878; and
William H. Mr. Stephen D. Eells, enlisted in Company I, One Hundred
and Forty-fourth New York Volunteer Infantry, at the time of the late
Rebellion, and served until the close of the war, receiving his honorable
discharge at Hilton Head, S.C. He has been closely identified with all
enterprises calculated to improve the educational or moral status of the
town, and has been an active worker in the cause of temperance. Both
he and his wife, in religious matters, are in sympathy with the teachings of
the Congregational church, of which they are members.

In his boyhood William H. Eells attended first the district school, and
afterward the village academy at Walton. At the age of fifteen years he
left home to serve an apprenticeship in the office of the Norwalk Gazette,
at Norwalk, Conn.; and, having learned the trade of a printer, he was
employed for the following year or more in the office of the famous
Danbury News. Going thence to New York City, Mr. Eells secured a good
position with the Bradstreet Mercantile Agency, remaining there until he
had the misfortune to lose one foot by having it caught in an elevator. In
1875, being able to resume work, Mr. Eells accepted a situation in the
office of the Morning Journal and Courier, at New Haven, Conn.,
continuing there until 1881, when he went to the city of Washington,
where he served six years in the government printing-office, a portion of
his time being employed in reading proof.

In 1887 he again went to New York, and for four years worked on the
Morning Journal, afterward holding a position in the office of the Times,
and then in that of the Commercial Advertiser. He subsequently returned
to the place of this nativity, and accepted the position of managing editor
of the Walton Chronicle, resigning it to enter the office of the New York
Tribune as operator of a typesetting machine. In 1892 Mr. Eells came
back to Walton, and voted for Benjamin Harrison for President; and in
November of that year he started the Walton edition of the Delaware
Express, published in Delhi, meeting with such good success that he was
encouraged to make it an independent publication. Accordingly, in March
1893, changing the name of the paper to the Walton Times, he
established a plant, and began printing it himself. He began with two
hundred and fifty subscribers, and in February, 1894, less than a year
after the paper was started, the circulation had increased to fourteen
hundred, new subscribers being added to the list each month.

Mr. Eells has been twice married. On June 24, 1880, was celebrated his
union with Miss Huldah Stoddard, of New Haven, Conn., who was a
daughter of George W. and Harriet Stoddard, and who died a few months
later, on February 24, 1881. Mr. Eells was again married in 1886, leading
to the alter Miss Eleanor Place, of Washington, D.C., the wedding
ceremony taking place in that city. Of the five children born to them three
are now living, namely: Hamilton, a manly little fellow of seven years;
Martha; and Ruth. In politics Mr. Eells is a straight Republican. Socially,
he is a member of the Golden Rule Lodge, No. 21, Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, of Washington, D.C.

MITCHELL N. FRISBEE, the owner of one of the largest farms and most
extensive dairies in the town of Kortright, of which he is one of the
foremost citizens, comes of one of the leading pioneer families of
Delaware County, his great-grandfather having been Gideon Frisbee, one
of the most widely known and most important men of the early time in this
neighborhood. Gideon Frisbee was a native of Columbia County, but was
among the first settlers of the town of Delhi, where he became the
possessor of a large tract of land. He was the first Judge of Delaware
County, and his house was the scene of the first court held in the county.

William Frisbee, son of Gideon, was born in Delhi, and was possessor of
a part of the old home farm. He was one of a family of nine children, a
practical farmer and excellent business man, who took an active part in all
town affairs, and held the office of County Treasurer. Eleven of his
children grew to maturity; and three still live, namely: Mrs. Mary
Churchward, of Janesville, Ohio; Mrs. Alice Cottrell, who resides with her
sister; and Fritz W. Frisbee, who lives in Iowa. The mother of this large
family died in the prime of life; but William Frisbee lived to a good old
age, dying in his native town.

William Frisbee's son, Marcus W., the father of the subject of this sketch,
was born in Delhi, April 8, 1817, and resided in that town throughout his
life. He was industrious and persevering, and owned two excellent farms,
which he cultivated. Politically a Republican, he held many town offices,
among which was that of Superintendent of the Poor; and he and his wife,
Susan Mitchell, born in Meredith, October 8, 1816, were members of the
Methodist Episcopal church. Both died in the town of Delhi, she at the
age of sixty-one years, and he when seventy-six years of age. They were
the parents of four children, three of whom are still living, namely:
Mitchell N. Frisbee, of whom this sketch is written; Mrs. G.L. Bell, a
resident of Windsor, Broome County, N.Y.; and M. Dwight Frisbee, of
Binghamton. One daughter, Angelia, died when forty years of age.

Mitchell N. Frisbee was born in Delhi, October 27, 1847, and educated in
the Delaware Academy. Making his home with his parents, he then
taught school for three terms. June 13, 1873, he married Miss Frances
Clark, who was born November 18, 1846, in Kortright on the farm
purchased by Mr. Frisbee and at present occupied by his family. Miss
Clark was the daughter of Joseph Clark, an early settler and prominent
man of Kortright, who married Jane Burdict, a descendant of one of the
pioneer families of that town. Joseph Clark died when sixty-three years of
age, and his wife has also passed away. Mr. and Mrs. Frisbee are the
parents of two children - Clark Frisbee and Susan M. Frisbee, both of
whom reside with their parents.

Mr. Frisbee first purchased the old home farm of two hundred and twenty
acres where he was born; and there he resided for twelve years, selling it
at the expiration of that time, and buying his present home of six hundred
acres. Five hundred acres of this is cleared land, which is cultivated. Mr.
Frisbee operates a very extensive dairy, owning over one hundred head
of grade Jersey cattle. He is also engaged in stock and sheep raising,
giving employment to five men throughout the year. His farm is one of the
very best in the town, and his residence a fine, commodious one. Mr. and
Mrs. Frisbee are liberal in religious views. Mr. Frisbee supports the
Republican party, and has held the office of Supervisor for two terms. He
is a man of remarkable business qualifications, energetic, upright, and
reliable, and enjoys the esteem of the community in which he dwells.

THOMAS L. CRAIG, M.D., who has but recently established himself as a
regular practitioner in the town of Davenport, after a thorough medical
course of study and two years of valuable experience in the Baltimore
University Hospital, is eminently fitted for the practice of his profession.
He claims Delaware as the county of his birth, which occurred April 10,
1865, in the town of Harpersfield. He is of Irish parentage, and the
descendant of a well-known pioneer family of this county. His
grandfather, Thomas Craig, who was born and bred in Ireland, and lived
there until after his marriage, emigrating to this country in the early part of
the present century, settled in the town of Meredith, Delaware County. He
was accompanied by his wife and little ones, and there took up a timber
tract, from which by dint of persevering toil he developed a farm, on which
he and his faithful companion lived to be quite aged people. They reared
a family of six children; namely, John, Samuel, Robert, Mattie, Margaret,
and Jane.

Robert Craig, the third son, was born in Ireland, whence his parents came
to America when he was eight years old. In the pioneer labor of clearing
a homestead he was soon after strong enough to be of assistance; and
he was thus engaged until twenty-one years of age, with the exception of
the short time each year that he spent in school. Leaving home, he first
worked out by the month; then, marrying, he purchased a farm in
Meredith, where he lived thirteen years. Selling this at a good advantage,
he removed to Harpersfield, and buying a farm, continued his agricultural
labors until his early death, at the age of thirty-nine years. He was a
hard-working man, and by his honest life and sound religious principles
gained the good will and esteem of all who knew him. He was an active
member of the United Presbyterian Church of North Kortright, to which his
wife, Mary Adair Craig, also belonged.

Mrs. Craig was born in this county, being one of five children of James
Adair, a native of North Ireland, and his wife, who were for many years
residents of Kortright. Of their union five children were born, namely;
Samuel; James; Robert, a lawyer in Omaha, Neb.; Sarah E., deceased;
and Thomas L. Mrs. Craig is still living, and makes her home with a
brother in Harpersfield.

The childhood and youth of Thomas L. Craig were spent on the farm,
assisting in its work, and attending the district school until sixteen years of
age. The following year he worked by the month, then spent two years in
hard study at Walton Academy, fitting himself for a teacher, a profession
which he subsequently followed in Bloomville and other towns in the
vicinity for some years. Having acquired sufficient means to defray his
expenses, he then entered Baltimore College, and later the Baltimore
University, from which he was graduated, with an honorable record, in
1892. Dr. Craig then spent two years in the hospital connected with the
University, where he had an excellent opportunity to put into practice the
knowledge he had acquired through his many years of hard study. He
came to Davenport early in the present year, 1894; and, judging from the
success he has already met with in his professional labors, he bids fair
soon to have an extensive and lucrative patronage.

The marriage of Dr. Craig is an event so recent that he has not ceased to
receive congratulations. On November 20, 1894, he was united in the
holy bonds of matrimony with Miss Addie Earle, Head Nurse of the
Baltimore University Training School for Nurses. Mrs. Craig's parents
were natives of England; but she was born in Baltimore, Md.; and always
lived in that city, with the exception of a few years that she spent in Berlin
in a training school preparing for her profession. She is a communicant of
the Episcopal church. Her father died about twenty-three years ago. Her
mother is still living in Baltimore. Mrs. Craig has two sisters and three
brothers. Her eldest sister, Nellie, is married, and lives in Baltimore. The
youngest sister is at home with her mother. The two elder brothers are in
business in Chicago, while the youngest is a draughtsman in the
Baltimore car-shops. In politics Dr. Craig supports the principles of the
Republican party. Although a member of no religious organization, he
was been accustomed to attend the Presbyterian church.

CAPTAIN JAMES IRA WEBB, a scarred and pensioned veteran of the
Grand Army, now engaged as a dealer in wagons and agricultural
implements at Walton, Delaware County, N.Y., was born in Delhi, N.Y.,
August 18, 1837. He is of Scotch-Irish descent. His grandfather, Alanson
B. Webb, who emigrated from the north of Ireland about the year 1800,
settling in Hobart, N.Y., was the father of three children: Josiah, father of
Captain Webb; Cornelia, widow of John Wesley Hawkins, of Delhi, N.Y.;
and James, deceased. Josiah Webb was born at Hobart in January
1804. He was first married to Miss Hannah Bowen, of Meredith, the
daughter of William and Emma Bowen. The great-grandfather Bowen
was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, as were also two of his sons. At
the time the alarm came that New York was taken he was engaged in
ploughing in the fields. He at once unyoked his team of oxen; and , his
sons having taken all the firearms along with them, he hastily gathered
together a few clothes, and armed with a pitchfork, started for the seat of
war, where he remained for two years.

Mr. and Mrs. Josiah Webb settled on a farm near Delhi, where six
children were born to them, the youngest being James Ira. The others
were the following: Hannah E. married Chester E. Wellman, and settled
in Laurens, Otsego County, where Mr. Wellman died. She is now a
resident of Morrice, Mich. Emma married Major E. H. Noyes, who was on
the "Congress" at the time that vessel was sunk. He was
Captain of one hundred and twenty marines, all of whom were aboard;
and most of them perished. He was made Chief Commissary at Fortress
Monroe, with the rank of Major. Juliette married James A. Harvey, a
wholesale liquor dealer of Sparta, Wis. Ruth Adaline married John
Hastings, now deceased. Mrs. Hastings at the present time resides in
Kansas City. Dr. Josiah Watson Webb went to Chicago, where he took
up the study of medicine, graduating from the Bennett Medical College of
that city. He began practice in Chicago, subsequently going to Salt Lake
City, where he lectured for one winter. Thence he went to Oakland, Cal.,
and there founded the Oakland Medical College. He died February 13,
1879, being at that time President of the college. His wife was an own
cousin of Robert G. Ingersoll. Mr. Webb's second marriage was to Miss
Polly Krofft, by whom he had six children, namely: George, who enlisted
in Company B of the One Hundred and Forty-fourth New York Volunteer
Infantry, serving with honor and distinction throughout the war, and died
at Hornellsville, N.Y.; Mary, wife of Thomas Kane, of Susquehanna, Pa.;
Elizabeth, wife of George Chubb, of Hornellsville; Aletta, of Addison, N.Y.,
widow of J. Morse; Arthur L., an engineer on the S. & E. Railroad;
and Charles, a conductor on Delaware Division Railroad.

James I. Webb, who lost his mother when he was about a year and a half
old, resided with his father until he was fourteen years of age, and up to
this period had never attended school. He now started out in the world
alone. Having a sister in Laurens, he went there to live, working at any
honest employment he could get, a portion of the time earning only about
three dollars per month. The winter he was seventeen years old he
attended a district school, working for his board. He afterward spent two
terms in the high school at Hancock. In 1858 he had attained the position
of Superintendent of the plank road between Summit and Hancock. On
the 1st of May, 1861, he enlisted in the Seventy-first New York Volunteer
Infantry, Company I.

Their first rendezvous was Staten Island, where they remained until after
the battle of Bull Run. Soon after that the regiment was called to
Washington, D.C., where young Webb was made Orderly Sergeant. He
was sent on an expedition, in company with sixteen hundred men, to
Stafford's Court House, Va., and participated in the engagement of April
7, 1862. Thence he went to Fortress Monroe, and was there at the time
of the fight between the "Merrimac" and the
"Monitor". On the 12th of April he was promoted to the rank of
Second Lieutenant. He was sent to take charge of a saw and grist mill
near Cheeseman's Creek Landing, having under him thirty men who were
engaged in sawing lumber for use in the fortification of Yorktown. He
reported to his regiment on the night of the evacuation of that city. He was
next sent to Williamsburg, and for a time was occupied in gathering up
stragglers from the army, being successful in picking up about three
hundred, taking them to White Oak Swamp just as the engagement
commenced, and narrowly escaped being made prisoner by General
Jubal Early. He went thence to Fair Oaks, participating with his company
in the desperate bayonet charge. While lying in the redoubt in front of the
Twin House, he, in company with Colonel H.L. Potter, resolved to find out
the position of the rebels. Starting forth on their perilous undertaking, and
coming to a large white oak, the Lieutenant climbed to the top, and, by the
aid of a powerful glass, gathered much valuable information. The
following day he and the Colonel again went out to reconnoitre; but, by
the time the Lieutenant was fairly located in the top of the tree, the bullets
flew thick and fast around his head. He at once hurried down from his
lofty position, and betook himself to safer quarters. He was next engaged
in the seven days' fight, and at the second battle of Malvern Hill was
Adjutant.

Arriving at Warrenton on August 27, 1862, he retired as Adjutant, and
took command of his old company in the Seventy-first Regiment. He
could rally only twenty-four men fit to enter into the engagement, and
seventeen out of this number were killed and wounded. He himself was
twice hit, and carries one of the bullets in his side to this day. For
meritorious service he was promoted to be Captain on September 12,
1862, and was sent to the hospital at Washington, D.C. The following
winter, to save his life it was thought best to send him to New York, under
the care and charge of Surgeon-general Hammond. The following April
he returned to Washington, out of money, and with no means of obtaining
it, as he had never been mustered in as Captain of his company. At that
time a special order had been issued discharging all officers and men
who had not been in their companies for a certain length of time. This
would have discharged Captain Webb: but, being desirous of remaining
in the service, he wrote to Adjutant General Sprague, who advised him to
go to his regiment. The General forwarding his commission, he joined his
regiment, where he was soon mustered in as Captain, and took command
of his company, although he was then carrying his arm in a sling. He was
at the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, and was ranking
Captain and acted as Lieutenant Colonel, his two companies being
engaged at the front when the rebel general, Stonewall Jackson, fell.
Captain Webb soon after resigned, with the rank of Brevet Major. He
draws a pension for a gunshot wound of the right arm and shoulder.

Captain Webb was married April 26, 1871, to Miss Florence M. Roff, a
daughter of Lieutenant William H. Roff, of the Second New York Heavy
Artillery, who received his death wound at Cold Harbor, dying in the
hospital at Washington, D.C. After his marriage Captain Webb
purchased a farm of four hundred and fifty acres. In October, 1887, he
came to Walton, where he has since been engaged in the sale of
agricultural implements. Captain and Mrs. Webb have two children: Etta
J., born June 12, 1874; and Ethel E., born February 15, 1878.

In politics he is a stanch supporter of the Republican party, and served as
a member on the Town Committee. He is a Director of the First National
Bank of Walton, and a member of the Financial Committee. He is a
member of the Ben Marvin Post, Grand Army of the Republic, No. 209,
and he has served as Adjutant, at the present time being Senior Vice-
Commander. He is a member of Walton Lodge, No. 559, A.F. &
A.M., and is also a member of She-hawken Chapter, No. 258. He is a
member of the Baptist church, and is Trustee and President of the Board,
and is at present the President of the village.

Captain Webb is a man of strong patriotism, and eager to promote the
welfare of his country. He has always taken a deep interest in the affairs
of the town, and has at all times exhibited an unwavering rectitude of
character. A portrait of this true-hearted American citizen, who fought and
bled for the Union in its hour of peril, and has now exchanged rifle and
sword for ploughshares and harvesters, may be seen on another page.

JAMES S. WILSON, who was one of the youngest Union soldiers in the
late war, was born in Delhi, Delaware County, April 25, 1857. His
grandfather came to New York in the early days from Vermont, and had a
son, Freeman Wilson, who was born in Colchester, June 10, 1812, and
died July 12, 1862. Freeman Wilson was brought up on a farm, being
one of family of six; namely, Daniel, Freeman, William, Thomas, Sylvia A.,
and Adaline. He kept a store in Delhi, and was a successful business
man. His wife, Eunice Page, who was born in 1812, and died September
13, 1856, was the mother of three sons - Daniel P., James S., and William
H. Her father, Solomon Page, came from Vermont early in this century,
and settled in Franklin on what is called "Page's Hill." His
wife, Irene, died February 14, 1848, aged sixty-nine years, leaving the
following family: John, Horace, Hiram, Ralph, Solomon, Laura, Letitia,
Miranda, Marcia, Eunice. Mr. Page was a carpenter; he passed his last
days in Unadilla.

James S. Wilson, second son of Freeman and Eunice, when five years
old came to Trout Creek, receiving there the ordinary education of that
time. At the outbreak of the Southern Rebellion he had not seen his
fourteenth birthday, but he was none the less shortly fired with patriotic
zeal and military ardor. When the Eighty-seventh Regiment was being
recruited at Elmira, he, with four other boys, ran away from home, and
attempted to enlist; but the officer in charge refused to accept him on
account of his youth. His determination, however, was strong; and,
through the intervention of Elder Covey, Chaplain of the One Hundred
and First New York State Volunteers at Hancock, he succeeded in
enlisting in Company D, late in 1861. This company was consolidated
with five companies from Syracuse, and proceeded to Calaroma Heights,
Washington, thence by transport to White House Landing, Va., in the
spring of 1862. Private Wilson was first put under fire at Fair Oaks, and
for seven days was in the fight before Richmond. Afterward he
participated in the engagements at Savage Station, Ream's Station,
Charles City Cross-roads, Harrison's Landing. Malvern Hill, Yorktown,
whence he went by transportation to Alexandria, marching then to
Warrington Junction, then to Bull Run for the second battle there. On the
following day the company was ordered to Chantilly. In the darkness they
came upon the enemy before they knew it; and, at the same time that
General Kearny received his death wound, Mr. Wilson was shot, barely
escaping with his life. Not a commissioned officer was left, and scarcely
seventy-five out of the whole regiment remained to tell of the slaughter.
These were then consolidated with the Thirty-seventh New York State
volunteers. In the night of September 1, during a heavy thunder-storm,
the troops were drawn up in line of battle. While engaged, and after firing
over twenty rounds of cartridges, Mr. Wilson was struck by a musketball,
which lodged in the right side, and would probably have ended his life
had its course not been checked by a rubber blanket which was slung
over his shoulder. He was carried to the rear, when General Burney
ordered his comrades to the front again; and he crawled under a large
beech-tree, which was riddled with bullets, and lay there till his comrades,
one of whom was John C. Haskins, of Tompkins, were released from duty
after the battle, and he was then taken to a barn and received medical
attention. When the ball was taken out, a piece of the blanket was found
on the back of it in the wound. In the morning they were taken prisoners,
paroled, and after seven days the ambulances came and took them to
Washington. Mr. Wilson was at Douglas Hospital for three months, and
was then ordered to Annapolis. Before going there, however, he went
home, staying two months, and then reporting to Elmira, whence he went
to Annapolis, and joined the Thirty-seventh New York Volunteers. He
afterward was present at Falmouth, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville.
Being taken sick after the last battle, he was sent to Alexandria; and after
his recovery, the Thirty-seventh being mustered out, he was transferred to
the Fortieth at Brandy Station. With them he was at Mine Run, after
which his regiment re-enlisted, and he with them, and then came home on
a furlough. After thirty days he returned to Brandy Station, and was in the
battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, North Anna,
Petersburg, Deep Bottom, and Weldon. There was now continuous
fighting until Lee's surrender, and Mr. Wilson never missed a battle or
skirmish in which his regiment took part. After the surrender he marched
with the rest to Washington, where the troops were reviewed; and he was
mustered out in July, 1865, after four years of continuous service.

After the war Mr. Wilson came to Trout Creek, and engaged in various
business ventures. He was at first proprietor, in company with his brother
Daniel, of the hotel which he now carries on. Buying out his brother, he
then successively traded the hotel for a farm, and the farm for a grist-mill,
starting his younger brother in the hotel business in Masonville. He next
bought a saw-mill, which he carried on with Daniel for eight years, then
worked it alone for two years, and finally sold it to L. L. Teed, trading his
grist-mill for a farm in Aroostook County, Maine. Selling the farm, he
bought a hotel in Unadilla, and after three years bought another in New
Berlin, which he sold, and bought one in Sidney. This he sold inside of a
week, and leased the Ouguaga House at Deposit. After a time he sold his
lease and his furniture, and, removing to Roxbury, went into the livery
business. A year later he went to Middleburg, Schoharie County, lived
there two and one-half years, and then returned to Trout Creek, and
bought the hotel he first owned, and which he now runs in connection with
his other business of buying and selling cattle.

On June 15, 1871, Mr. Wilson married Deborah Austin, daughter of
William and Harriet (Darling) Austin. William Austin was
born in Middletown, Delaware County. His great-grandfather was Pardon
Austin, of Putnam County, who cleared a tract of land on the Delaware
River, and erected a log cabin. He and Alden Peckham were the first
settlers in this district, and they kept their sheep and cows close to their
cabins to protect them from the wolves which infested the neighborhood.
One night, as Peckham was leaving the Austin farm for his own, two miles
distant, he heard the screech of a panther, and only saved his own life by
raising his gun quickly and shooting the animal. Experiences of this kind
were common occurrences; and Great-grandmother Austin, who was
Rhoda Stanton, of Dutchess County, had to be continually on her guard
against the wild animals, who made frequent visits upon her in her
doorless cabin. It is related of her that once, when her husband was on a
four days' journey to the nearest market, she was attacked by wolves in
great numbers, and all night long fought them off with blazing brands from
the fire, and was well-nigh exhausted when help arrived. Pardon Austin
started the first tannery in that section; and the farm in Middletown is still
in the family, always descending to the youngest child. Alexander Austin,
son of Pardon and Rhoda, was one of ten children, and worked on the
home farm, going forty-five miles to the nearest market, carrying with him
the cloth which his wife had spun from the flax and wool of their own
raising. His wife was Deborah Dean, of Middletown. Their children were
Alfred, William, Adaline, Henry, Theopholis, Julia, Clarinda, Huldah, and
Polly.

William Austin, father of Mrs. Wilson, came to Trout Creek when young,
and built the house now occupied by Mr. Wilson as a hotel; and there he
kept the first store of the village. He married Harriet Darling, daughter of
Jeremiah and Elizabeth (Drake) Darling, of Broome,
Schoharie County. Joseph Darling, her grandfather, and his wife, Abigail
Bull, were natives of Blenheim; and he was a blacksmith and farmer.
Jeremiah was at one time a schoolmaster. He spent his last days in Trout
Creek, and left the following children: Harriet, Aaron, Moses, Andrew,
Charles, Elizabeth, and Mary. The Drake family came from
Massachusetts early in the century. Joshua Drake, great-grandfather of
Mrs. Wilson was a soldier in the War of 1812. He settled at Harpersfield,
and later in Loomis. William Austin after his marriage went to Canada,
and engaged in horse-trading, and returning, first bought a farm on
Knickerbocker Hill, and then bought the one where he now lives, the L. L.
Teed place. He had three children - Deborah, George H., and Bessie.

Deborah, wife of James S. Wilson, was born at Osbrook, Canada, in
1853, and was educated at Trout Creek. She is the mother of four
children: Eunice L., born January 27, 1872, who married Roma
Wakeman, a farmer in Walton; William A., born July 29, 1873; Hattie L.,
born August 17, 1876; Florence H., born February 27, 1878.

James S. Wilson has a large circle of friends and acquaintances, who
look to him with the respect due to a man of his character, a citizen that
so nobly served his country in the time of its greatest need. His brother
Daniel is a farmer in Tompkins and William is a prominent citizen of
Masonville, having been Supervisor and Justice of the Peace.

WILLIAM J. THOMPSON, a representative farmer of the town of Delhi,
has a fine estate of two hundred and seventy acres lying on the Little
Delaware, which, with its handsome residence, commodious barn, and
other suitable out-buildings, constitutes one of the most attractive
homesteads in this part of Delaware County. Mr. Thompson was born on
April 6, 1856, in Middletown in this county. He comes of stanch Scotch
ancestry, his father, James M. Thompson, having been born and bred
among the Grampian Hills, in Perthshire, Scotland. He was a farmer by
occupation, and resided for thirty years in the land which gave him birth.
Being then desirous of bettering his financial condition, he sailed for
America, a country of great possibilities for a poor man, and after his
arrival came directly to this part of the Empire State, settling in
Middletown. He bought a tract of forest land, and for twenty years he was
engaged in its improvement. Then, selling that property, he came to
Delhi, where he purchased the farm now owned and occupied by his son
William, and resided here until his departure from this life, at the age of
seventy-two years.

He was twice married. His first wife, Rachel Cairns, daughter of William
Cairns, a life-long resident of Roxburyshire, Scotland, lived but a short
time after his marriage, dying in the land of her birth, and leaving one son,
John M. Thompson. Her sister, Beatrice Cairns, became his second wife,
their nuptials being celebrated in Scotland; and of their union were born
five children, three daughters and two sons. Betsey, the eldest, is the
widow of William Thompson, a farmer, and resides in Delhi. Jessie, who
married William Aiken, lives in Andes. Annie married Robert Blair, of
Delhi. The sons are William J. and Melville E. Thompson. Both the father
and mother were respected members of the Presbyterian church, having
made a public profession of their faith while in Scotland, and from the
Perthshire church bringing letters to the church in Middletown, and
afterward being received into the church at Delhi by letter.

William J. Thompson received a good practical education in the days of
his youth, and from his earliest remembrance has been engaged in
agricultural labor. Until twenty-four years of age heassistedd his father in
clearing and tilling the old home farm, and then in company with his
brother bought the entire property. After taking possession, the brothers
at once began making extensive improvements, both in the land and
buildings, erecting a large and convenient barn, sixty-four feet by forty-six
feet, and thirty-three feet in height, besides other buildings needful for
their increased work. They enlarged their dairy from twenty-three cows
to sixty, and in addition thereto keep forty head of young stock and six
fine horses. His cows are Jersey grades, which produce large
quantitative of rich milk; and this is sent direct to New York City. Five
years ago the partnership between the brothers was dissolved ;and since
that time Mr. William Thompson has continued the business alone,
meeting with the same success as in previous days. He is a thorough
business man and agriculturist, honest and upright in all of his
transactions, and fully entitled to the high respect accorded him by all.

Mr. Thompson was married November 1, 1884, to Isabella J. Mabel, a
grand-daughter of Robert Mabel, one of Delaware County's most honored
pioneers, who emigrated from Scotland with a large family in 1822, and
settled in Delhi. He bought a farm on the Little Delaware, and there he
and his good wife spent their remaining years. They reared a family of
five children - Robert, James, Alexander, Jeannette, and Mary. The third
son, Alexander Mabel, was a father of Mrs. Thompson. He was bred to a
farmer's life, and became one of the influential men of this part of the
county, holding many of the local offices of the town, and also of the
Agricultural Society of the county. He married Isabella Middlemas; and
they became the parents of seven children, as follows: Thomas, a
ranchman, resides in California; Robert A., a farmer lives in Delhi; James
D., a farmer, lives on the old homestead; Samuel W., deceased; Isabella
J., Mrs. Thompson; Agnes, the wife of Charles McGregor; and Lizzie, who
lives on the old homestead with her brother James. Mr. and Mrs. Mabel
spent the first forty years of their married life on the old homestead, but
subsequently removed to a farm in the town, where they spent their last
years.

The union of Mr. and Mrs. Thompson has been brightened by the birth of
two smart and active boys - Edward H. and Samuel W. Politically, Mr.
Thompson is a steadfast Republican; and, although no aspirant for official
honors, he takes a warm interest in local affairs. The pleasant home of
the family is the resort of a host of friends, whom they delight to entertain.

HENRY W. HOLMES, Postmaster and Justice of the Peace in the town of
Hamden, is a resident of DeLancey and a citizen of high standing in
Delaware County. He was born in Delhi, June 14, 1859, but has resided
in DeLancey since the age of one year. He was educated in the public
school of DeLancey and at Delaware Academy at Delhi, which he
attended during the years 1876, 1877, and 1878. He commenced
teaching at the age of seventeen, and for eleven years pursued that
vocation, being employed in all the larger public schools in the towns of
Hamden and Delhi. In 1887 he was elected to the office of Justice of the
Peace, and, at the expiration of his term in 1891, was re-elected, and still
holds that office, doing a large share of the justice court business of the
town.

In 1892 he was appointed Postmaster at DeLancey by the Harrison
administration, and, although an ardent Republican, has not been
removed by the Cleveland adminsitration. He was one of fourteen
postmasters out of ninety-six in Delaware County whose conduct of their
offices was, after an examination by special inspectors in 1893, officially
declared by the Postmaster-General to be excellent or first-class. He was
United States Census Enumerator in 1880, and again in 1890, taking the
census of the entire town each time, being the first enumerator in
Delaware County to receive his compensation in 1890, and being
honored with a special letter of commendation from the superintendent of
the census for the efficiency and accuracy of his work.

For the past six years. Mr. Homes has been a regularly employed
correspondent for various local papers, and has written during that time
an immense amount of local, general, and editorial matter. He is at
present on the staff of the Delaware Express, published at Delhi, N.Y.

Mr. Holmes is an only son. His father, Henry Holmes, a native of Paisley,
Scotland, came to this country in 1829, at the age of nine years, and
settled in Holmes Hollow in Delhi, where he resided till his removal to
DeLancey. In 1850 he married Lucinda Peake, a grand-daughter of
Roswell Peake, one of the early pioneers. At the time of her marriage
Miss Peake was a popular school-teacher, and she still takes an active
interest in educational affairs. Mr. Holmes, the senior, was a lumberman
and farmer in Holmes Hollow, owning a saw-mill, manufacturing his own
lumber, and rafting it down the Delaware River to Philadelphia every
spring. After selling his farm and removing to DeLancey, he continued his
lumbering business until about 1873, when the depletion of the hemlock
forests put an end to that industry in this vicinity. He has ever been
prominent in public affairs, and has held almost every town office from
Supervisor down to Inspector of Elections, and was Postmaster at
DeLancey from 1889 until 1892, when he resigned because of failing
health.

MISS LAURA GAY, a retired teacher of the town of Walton, who was for
the last six years of her life an efficient member of the Board of Education,
died here a short time since, July 28, 1894, deeply lamented by a large
circle of friends. She was one of the early graduates of Vassar College,
of the class of June 20, 1869; and, possessing much native force of
character, her influence as a woman of culture was widely felt. In religion
she was an Episcopalian. Miss Gay was the daughter of David Hyde and
Susan (Gardiner) Gay, and a grand-daughter of William Gay,
who was a pioneer settler on the banks of East Brook.

The progenitor of the family in America was John Gay, who came over in
the ship "Mary and John," landing in Boston in 1630, and first
settling in Watertown, Mass., but becoming a founder of the neighboring
town of Dedham before 1636. He died there, on March 4, 1688
(the very year when William of Orange and Mary Stuart were jointly
established on the English throne), his wife Joanna surviving till
August 14, 1691. Among their ten children was one Samuel, born in
Dedham, March 10, 1639, married to Mary Bridge, November 23, 1661,
and died in his native place on April 5, 1718, aged seventy-nine, two days
after the death of his wife, with whom he had lived happily for fifty-six
years, rearing five sons and three daughters. Their third son was John,
born June 25, 1668. He married Mary Fisher, of Dedham, on May 24,
1692, and died on the first day of June, 1758, aged ninety, having
outlived by a decade his wife, who died May 18, 1748, having borne
seven children. John, Jr., their second son, was born in Dedham on July
8, 1699, and died in Sharon, Conn., on August 6, 1792, aged ninety-
three, having lived through the Revolution, which began when he was six
years past his threescore and ten, too old to take part in the patriotic
contest. His wife was Lydia Culver. They were married in 1721, and
reared eleven children.

This brings us to their son, Colonel Ebenezer Gay, born in Litchfield,
Conn., on the day after Christmas, 1725. He was twenty-five years old
when he came to Sharon, and married Anna Cole, who bore him four sons
and two daughters. The Colonel was a militia officer, and served in the
Revolution with distinguished bravery at Danbury and other places. He
died at Sharon, July 16, 1781, at the age of fifty-six; and his resting-place
is marked by a headstone, now one hundred and seven years old.
Colonel Ebenezer had a son, David Gay, born March 24, 1756, who
married Keziah Merchant, and reared two sons and one daughter. One of
these, William Gay, was born in Sharon on September 21, 1776, came to
Walton in 1804, and settled on a farm on East Brook. He married Anna
Seymour; and their son, David Hyde Gay, was born in 1815. William Gay
died on March 25, 1854, just nine days after the death of his wife.

David Hyde Gay was the only son of his parents living to maturity, one
other son having died young; and of his sisters only one outlived him,
Ann, who became Mrs. William Henry Eells, of Walton. Like his father
and sisters he was a teacher in early life, and later he was a merchant for
thirty years. He inherited property from his parents, and also received it
through his wife. His death occurred in Walton on October 14, 1893, at
the age of seventy-eight years and two months. Though no politician, he
was a decided patriot, being a war Democrat. For over half a century Mr.
Gay was connected with the Episcopal church, and was for a quarter-
century Senior Warden of the parish. He was a liberal support of
educational institutions; and, being a thoughtful and careful reader, he
collected a fine library including the ninth edition of the Ecyclopaedia
Brittannica.

The wife of David H. Gay was Susan Gardiner, the third daughter of Jetur
and Susanna (Johnson) Gardiner, and was born on the old
family farm, on the west branch of the Delaware River, January 4, 1811,
four years before her husband. They were married October 21, 1839; and
she died June 12, 1887, aged seventy-six, six years before her husband,
with whom she had lived forty-eight years. Her father, Jetur Gardiner,
died in Walton, November 11, 1811, of pleurisy, before she was a year
old. He was descended in the seventh generation from Lion Gardiner, of
Gardiner's Island, off the east end of Long Island. The place was known
as "Gardiner's Manor, " and Lion Gardiner was called the Lord
of the manor. In the early part of the seventeenth century he was in
Holland in military service with William of Orange. On July 10, 1635, he
took his bride to London, and on August 16 sailed for New England,
arriving on November 28. At first, under the commission of Lords Say and
Brook, he built a fort at the mouth of the Connecticut River, called
Saybrook, where he remained for four years. There was born his son,
David Gardiner, April 29, 1636, the first white child born in the
Connecticut colony though he afterward had two sisters. On the death of
his mother in 1665, David Gardiner became proprietor of the island. He
married Mary Leringman, and died in Hartford on July 10, 1689, very
suddenly, while attending the General Assembly. One of his
descendants, another David, was born in 1705, married Elizabeth
Wickham in 1725, and died in South Hole, L.I., March 2, 1743, leaving
four children. John Gardiner, son of the second David, was born in 1727,
married Mary Reaves in 1749, and died in 1795. In the sixth generation
from Lion Gardiner was John's son, a third David Gardiner, who was born
September 11, 1750, married Jerusha Strong, August 3, 1771, and died
at South Hole in 1784, after which, in 1799, his widow moved to Walton
with her oldest son, Jetur, and there died, aged ninety-four, in December,
1843.

The father of Mrs. Jetur Gardiner, Laura Gay's great-grandfather, was
Captain Samuel Johnson, a Revolutionary soldier, who came to Walton
from the village of Northeast, Dutchess County, April 17, 1787, with his
wife, Sarah Pennoyer, and ten children, three more being born after their
arrival. In all there were seven boys and six girls, with the following
alliterative names: Sabra; Siles; Solomon; Sylvia; Samuel; Sarah;
Shubael; Schuyler; Simeon; Susanna, who became Mrs. Gardiner; Sybil;
Sylvester; and Susan Elizabeth. Well it is said by Lord Bacon: "It is
a revered thing to see an ancient castle not in decay; how much more to
behold an ancient family which have stood against the waves and
weathers of time!"

SMITH W. REED, M.D., is among the best-known residents of the village
of Margarettville, in the town of Middletown, where he has for many years
pursued his profession, alike with profit to himself and benefit to others.
His grandfather, William Reed, came from New England, and settled in
Pleasant Valley, Dutchess County, where he bought a farm, upon which
he worked as a pioneer. He served in the War of 1812, was a Democrat
in politics, and lived to be eighty-five. His eight children were Oliver,
William, Amos, Aaron, Ebenezer, Henry, Lydia, and Esther Reed.

Oliver Reed, William's eldest son, was born in New London, Conn. He
came early to Delaware County, and hired a farm in Roxbury, where he
married Eunice Dulong, daughter of John Dulong, a Delaware County
farmer, who lived till the latter part of the nineteenth century. During the
War of 1812 Oliver Reed did military duty for three months at Sackett's
Harbor. Later he removed to Cortland County, where he died at the age
of eighty-four, his wife living to be three years older. Both were members
of the Presbyterian church. He was at first a Democrat, but later became
a Republican. They had a large family of thirteen children, ten living to
maturity. Esther Reed married a farmer named Abram Blumberg, and had
four children. William Reed died in our Civil War, fighting bravely in the
One Hundred and Sixty-fifth New York Regiment of Volunteers. John
Dulong Reed lives with his family in Michigan. Aaron D. Reed became a
physician, married Marian Hubbell, and died in Cortland County, New
York, leaving two children. Lydia Reed married Peter Baljea, lives in
Cortland County, and has two children. Phebe Reed is the wife of Loren
Cole, a Michigan farmer. Dr. S. W. Reed is the subject of this sketch.
Polly Reed is married to Chapman Grinnell, a Tompkins County farmer.
Orin C. Reed married Mary Ann Russell, and was killed in the Rebellion
of 1861-65, leaving one child. Sherman S. Reed married Miss Fanny
Pierce, and lives in Tioga County.

Smith W. Reed was born in Roxbury, June 21, 1830. He was educated in
the Roxbury common schools, and in the Delaware Institute at Franklin.
In the fall of 1850, when twenty years of age, he came to Margarettville, in
order to study medicine with his elder brother Aaron, and subsequently
received a diploma at the Vermont Medical College in 1854. After
practising in the same town with his brother for a year, the young man
went to the town of Liberty in Sullivan County, but did not stay there long,
for he found a stronger attraction in his old field, where he was already
so well and kindly known; and there he has ever since remained, having
the largest practice in the neighborhood. In 1890 he opened a drug store,
one on the finest business places in the village; and in 1867 he built a
very large house on Walnut Street, where he has since resided. In fact,
he built this residence in consequence of his marriage, which had taken
place in 1865. The bride was Harriett A. Dumond; but, she dying at the
early age of nineteen, the Doctor was again married, the bride being
Frances A. Dumond, an aunt of his first wife, and the daughter of
Cornelius and Sylvia (Wood) Dumond. Of this union have
come four children, namely: Harriet Amanda Reed, who died young;
Randolph R. Reed, Emma Dumond Reed, and Smith W. Reed, Jr., who
are all at home. The doctor is a Democrat, and has thirteen times filled
the office of Supervisor of the town.

The present Mrs. Reed was born December 8, 1846. Her grandfather
was Egnos Dumond; and from him the genealogy runs back lineally
through Peter, Egnos, and John, to Waldron Dumond, a native of France,
who was exiled in the religious troubles, and married his wife in Holland.
At first the name was spelled de Mont, then Du Mond, and finally
Dumond. Waldron Dumond settled on Long Island as a farmer. His first
appearance in the records was on March 28, 1660, as a soldier in
Netherlandish service, in the company of his noble honor, the Director-
General, Peter Stuyvesant, then stationed at Esopus
(Kingston), N.Y. Waldron was one of the Military Council,
December 1, 1663. On January 13, 1664, he married Margaret Hendrix,
widow of Arentsen Hendrix. His son John married Nelltye Van Vegden.
Egnos, son of John, married November 13, 1725, Catherine Schuyler,
daughter of David Schuyler and Eliza Rutgers. David Schuyler was
Mayor of Albany in 1706 and 1707. His son, Peter, born about 1730,
married Elsie Van Waggenen. Their son, Egnos Dumond, was born in
Shandaken village, and married Harriett Winnie. Their children were
William, Egnos, James, Cornelius, Christian, Abraham, Harriet, Mary,
Sally, and Anna. The parents were among the early settlers of New
Kingston, Mr. Egnos Dumond receiving a tract of land in recompense for
his Kingston house burned during the Revolution, in which he patriotically
fought. Both he and he his wife lived to a good old age in Middletown,
and belonged to the Dutch Reformed Church.

Cornelius Dumond was born in Shandaken, came with his father Egnos to
Delaware County, and settled in New Kingston, where he bought a new
farm of three hundred acres. His first wife was born in New Kingston.
Her name was Mary Yaple, and she bore eight children: Harriet, Jane,
John Yaple, Catherine, Mary, Phebe, Prudence, and Minerva Dumond.
After her death, in middle life, he was again married to Sylvia Wood,
daughter of Christian Wood, by whom he had one child, Frances A.
Dumond, who became, as mentioned above, the second wife of Dr. Reed.
Mr. Dumond continued nearly all his life on the farm now owned by John
T. Archibald. He built first a log cabin, and then a frame house in place of
the old building. He lived to be eighty-two, but his wife died ten years
younger. In politics he was a Democrat, and both husband and wife were
Presbyterians. Among their children still living are Jane, Mary, Catherine,
and Prudence. Harriett Dumond married W. Sanford, and, dying, left five
children. Jane Dumond married William Reynolds, and had ten children.
John Yaple Dumond married Priscilla Hilton, and had six children.
Catherine Dumond married Cornelius Vansiclen, and had nine children.
Mary Dumond married William Palmateer, and had ten children. Phebe
Dumond married Caleb Travis, and had three children. Prudence
Dumond married Charles Macomber, and had ten children. Minerva
Dumond married Peter F. Swart, and had six children. Both Doctor and
Mrs. Reed have reason to be proud of their progenitors. The great
English physician, Sir Benjamin Brodie, has well said, and it is a
sentiment embodied in such lives as are commemorated in this sketch: -

"Nothing in this world is so good as usefulness. It binds your fellow-
creatures to you, and you to them; it tends to the improvement of your
own character, and it gives you a real importance in society, much beyond
what any artificial station can bestow."